Over the past two decades, the United States has played a leading role in counterterrorism—from Operation Neptune Spear that eliminated Osama bin Laden, to the raid that resulted in the death of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, to the global coalition behind Operation Inherent Resolve, which dismantled ISIS’s territorial control. Since then, al-Qaeda and ISIS are regaining control in the Sahel, Somalia, and across Africa, and there are concerns of ISIS taking advantage of recent shifts in Syria and Iraq.
On May 20, 2025, the Modern War Institute at West Point presented the USMA Class of 1992 War Council at the City Club of Washington in Washington, DC, focused on enabling sustainable counterterrorism. This event was created and convened by Tammy Palacios, a fellow at the Modern War Institute and a leading voice in sustainable counterterrorism. This War Council offered a chance to reflect on past efforts, assess today’s threats, and shape what sustainable counterterrorism looks like in practice.
The War Council Series is made possible by the gracious contributions of the Class of 1992 to the Modern War Institute at West Point. MWI’s mission is promoting informed debate and discussion among military and national security professionals, policymakers, and academics to prepare the Army, as part of the joint, combined, and interagency team, to win tomorrow, by shaping the Army today. MWI War Councils provide a valuable opportunity to broaden Cadet education by bringing in leading experts from around the country to discuss current national security problems as they relate to strategic studies theories. These valuable engagements also attract an audience from other faculty and students and are published later via the MWI website. MWI continuously generates new knowledge and adapts extant theories about the study of war, which it then integrates across the United States Military Academy, the Army, and the joint, combined, and interagency partners.
Image credit: United States Military Academy at West Point