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Since the publication of ISW’s last ISIS sanctuary map on March 3, 2016, ISIS lost control of the Syrian city of Palmyra to pro-regime forces. Additionally, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) launched an operation on March 12 to recapture Hit district, and as of March 31 the ISF recaptured the subdistricts of al-Muhammadi, south of the town of Hit, and Kubaisa, west of Hit.
Since the publication of ISW’s last ISIS sanctuary map on March 3, 2016, ISIS lost control of the Syrian city of Palmyra to pro-regime forces. Additionally, Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) launched an operation on March 12 to recapture Hit district, and as of March 31 the ISF recaptured the subdistricts of al-Muhammadi, south of the town of Hit, and Kubaisa, west of Hit.
The Institute for the Study of War and the Critical Threats Project at the American Enterprise Institute undertook a joint Planning Exercise focused on Russia's objectives and ways of warfare under Vladimir Putin. The study identified key lessons and guidelines for future U.S. strategy.
July 2015: The United States currently faces multiple national security threats in an environment of growing disorder. ISIS is executing a sophisticated global strategy that involves simultaneous efforts in Iraq and Syria, the Middle East and North Africa, and the wider world.
Russia has been "reflexive control" in Ukraine since early 2014 that causes a stronger adversary voluntarily to choose the actions most advantageous to Russian objectives by shaping the adversary’s perceptions of the situation decisively.
March 2016: International negotiations to reach a political settlement in Syria resumed following two weeks of a “cessation of hostilities” in which the Russian air campaign in Syria decreased notably, though it did not entirely cease.
Pro-regime forces seized Palmyra as well as the adjacent Palmyra Airbase in Eastern Homs Province on March 27 after ISIS withdrew from the city, completing an operation that began on March 7 with the aim of recapturing the strategic crossroads.
ISW is monitoring how the ISIS threat to American interests is evolving as the campaign to displace the group from its territorial strongholds winds down. ISIS has lost significant terrain in Iraq and Syria but it is not yet defeated and has already set conditions to resurge in key areas in both countries.
Russia has exploited its intervention in Syria not only to shape today's battlefield but to fundamentally alter tomorrow's regional environment in a direct challenge to U.S. national security interests. The Russian military's buildup in Syria is one aspect of the reality the Kremlin is creating on the ground.