This afternoon at the White House, the President met with his National Security Council to discuss the status of the comprehensive campaign to counter ISIL. He received an update on the political and security situation in Iraq and Syria, including the situation in Anbar, Iraq and Kobani, Syria, and discussed the assessed impact of coalition strikes on ISIL in both countries. He reviewed coalition plans to help train, advise, and equip Iraqi ground forces as they take the fight to ISIL in the near term and over time, including the need to fill critical gaps and to integrate fully the unique capabilities of key coalition partners.
Participants in today’s meeting included:
- The Vice President
- John Kerry, Secretary of State (via secure video)
- Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Defense
- Eric Holder, Attorney General
- Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security
- Denis McDonough, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
- Susan Rice, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
- Shaun Donovan, Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- Amb. Samantha Power, Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations (via secure video)
- John Podesta, Counselor to the President
- James Clapper, Director of National Intelligence
- Antony Blinken, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor
- Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
- Benjamin Rhodes, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications and Speechwriting
- Katie Beirne Fallon, Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs
- James Comey, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (via secure video)
- John Brennan, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
- GEN Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
- GEN Lloyd Austin, Commander, U.S. Central Command
- Nicholas Rasmussen, Acting Director of the National Counterterrorism Center
- John Allen, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL
- Brett McGurk, Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL
- Suzanne George, Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary and Chief of Staff of the National Security Council
- Brian Egan, Deputy Assistant to the President and Deputy Counsel to the President
- Colin Kahl, Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President
- Philip Gordon, Special Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa, and Gulf Region