- The US-led special-operations task force that led the way against ISIS is getting a new name.
- Formed in 2015, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve is now Special Operations Joint Task Force-Levant.
- With the name change comes expanded authority, as the task force broadens its focus on new and old threats.
The special-operations task force that led the way in the war against ISIS has been renamed as major combat operations against the terrorist group wind down.
Since 2015, Special Operations Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, or SOJTF-OIR, has been the tip of the spear in the multinational coalition that came together to fight ISIS.
After almost seven years, the Pentagon has renamed the unit. Special Operations Joint Task Force-Levant, or SOJTF-Levant, now has expanded authority in the region.
New unit, old threats
US special operators have more or less focused their efforts against ISIS in Iraq and Syria while conducting operations against its offshoots in Afghanistan, the Philippines, and some African countries.
SOJTF-OIR focused solely on the fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. SOJTF-Levant will continue to support Iraqi and coalition forces against the remnants of ISIS in Iraq and Syria and expand its operations against the terrorist group into Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan, according to US Special Operations Command Central.
The expanded role is a milestone.
"We operate in a region with numerous terrorist and violent extremist organizations and share a common interest with partner nations in prevailing against these regional security challenges," Army Maj. Charles An, a spokesperson for US Special Operations Command Central, told Defense News.
Expanding the task force's operational purview is a sign of the US commitment to the stability of the region, An said. "The US deeply values its long history of cooperation and friendship with the nations of the Levant."
Like its predecessor, SOJTF-Levant is a joint special-operations force, meaning that it will be composed of rotational commando elements from across the US special-operations community, including Navy SEAL platoons, Marine Raider teams, Army Special Forces operational detachments, and Air Commando teams.
The new task force will still fall under US Special Operations Command Central, which is the special-operations component of the US Central Command, the combatant command responsible for the Middle East, Central Asia, and part of Africa.
"It makes sense to make the change. It's a necessary step to ensure that the task force remains relevant and that the CT [counterterrorism] capability in the region doesn't atrophy," an Army Special Forces officer told Insider.
ISIS is only one threat the new task force will deal with, the officer said.
"The existential ISIS threat at large might be gone, but there is still a lot of terrorists in Syria and Iraq who would love to see a caliphate becoming a reality," added the officer, who was not authorized to speak to the media.
The new task force might also be more efficient by bringing different goals and tasks under one chain of command.
The US special-operations community certainly knows how to be efficient. While fighting insurgents in Iraq, units from the secretive Joint Special Operations Command and Special Operations Command worked with US intelligence agencies to go after Al Qaeda in Iraq, Iranian-backed terrorists, and Sunni militants.
Their brutal and fast-paced counterterrorism campaign often saw US and Coalition commandos strike dozens of targets across the country on the same night.
Troops assigned to SOJTF-Levant have already gone into work, participating in three regional training events, which suggests the new unit will also wage an indirect fight against ISIS by training and advising foreign special-operations units.
Rising tensions may mean more targets
ISIS is still a menace, but the US and its partners also see Iran as a threat to their interests and to regional stability.
Through its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps — a force focused on asymmetric warfare that has military, paramilitary, and intelligence-gathering capabilities — Tehran tries to shape the Levant and the Middle East to suit its own interests. Iranian forces often encourage or direct terrorist attacks in the region.
US and Iranian forces have avoided clashes with each other, but should there be open conflict, the new task force might find itself with a wider target list.
"I think the new unit might have expanded authorities. Iran is deeply involved in the region and is constantly brewing trouble for us and our regional allies and partners, not only in Syria and Iraq but in the countries of the Levant," the Special Forces officer said.
"Iran, in its current state at least, is a threat to regional security and stability and should be treated as such. But the Iranians are pretty dangerous and understand very well the concept of irregular warfare. We should take that as a fact and work from there," the officer added.
SOJTF-Levant will be just one task force in the region. Others include the Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Arabian Peninsula, which has been targeting Al Qaeda in Yemen and training and advising Yemen's military, and Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force-Afghanistan, which trained and advised Afghan forces and police in stability and counterinsurgent operations.
Stavros Atlamazoglou is a defense journalist specializing in special operations, a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ), and a Johns Hopkins University graduate.