Is our objective to defend the Iraqi government which would be FID in support of Iraqi COIN (or a hybrid of it, since ISIL has conventional capabilities), or is our objective to disrupt and degrade ISIL to minimize it as a threat to U.S. interests and its allies (Saudi, Jordan, Turkey, Europe, etc.), to include attacking the U.S. homeland? In that case, it may be another form of military operation where we co-opt Iraq and others into our coalition.

I have often wondered if our legacy doctrinal concepts of war, FID, COIN, UW, CT, etc. unintentionally limit the way we approach operations.

I don't think our objective is limited to Iraq's internal defense. I thought about counter-UW operations, but even that concept falls short. It seems we're executing a holistic (whole of government, multinational, and incorporating non-state actors that consist of NGOs and militias) across a wide geographical spectrum that includes but is not limited to Iraq. Campaigning?

Those executing may have some sense of clarity, but sitting on the side lines watching it all seems a little confused to me.