On July 20 and 21, defense ministers and other senior leaders from members of the counter-Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) coalition and from NATO will meet to discuss the ongoing military campaign against ISIS. The meeting comes on the heels of recent tragic and perhaps paradigm-shifting events, including a potentially-ISIS affiliated attack in Nice, France, and Friday’s attempted coup against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Even as these dramatic developments have taken place within key coalition member states, the situation on the ground in Iraq continues to advance, as seen in the progress made by Iraqi forces against the group in Fallujah and Qarrayah. Yet, as Special Envoy Brett McGurk recently told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “this progress does not discount the significant threat that remains, and will remain, for years to come,” and Secretary Kerry’s recent advances to Russia have created further uncertainty about US involvement in Syria. As senior ministers and advisers convene to evaluate progress to date and next steps for the coalition, we will discuss future military options for the coalition, countering the group’s evolving and decentralized threat, and the ongoing challenge of counter-messaging against ISIS.

On Tuesday, July 19, at 10:00 a.m. ET, a special members and press call was convened to discuss counter-ISIS efforts with Jasmine El-Gamal, Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security and Michael Weiss, Nonresident Senior Fellow with the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security and co-author of ISIS: Inside the Army of Terror.

Learn more about the Atlantic Council Members Program by clicking here.

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