End of the Global War on Terror?

PVT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 22:08:05 -0400

Did I mishear Obama when he said the War on Terror was over? And if it is, what are the opinions of you GWOT veterans?

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 26 at 2015 10:10 PM

CW4 Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 22:10:39 -0400

No matter what the President says or implys, we all know that the War on Terror has no immediate end in sight.

Response by SSgt Scott Schwerman made Jun 26 at 2015 10:11 PM

SSgt Scott Schwerman — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 22:11:55 -0400

The GWOT will never end as terrorism is endless and is all over the world.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 26 at 2015 10:15 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 22:15:57 -0400

I fear this will be the last war "era", as the war on terror in my opinion will never end.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 26 at 2015 10:21 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 22:21:25 -0400

Him of all people I don't believe!

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made Jun 26 at 2015 10:22 PM

LTC Yinon Weiss — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 22:22:37 -0400

The military has fortunately stopped using the term "Global War on Terror" several years ago. You can declare and win a war against a specific enemy, but you can't declare and win war on a tactic, which is all terrorism is. It's similar to declaring a "Global War on Ambush" or a "Global War on Urban Combat." It's an unfortunate term which should have never been used in the first place, in my opinion. Identify your enemies and wage war on them, but not on something which has always been here, and will always be here.

http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/05/23/obama-global-war-on-terror-is-over

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 26 at 2015 10:26 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 22:26:51 -0400

It was putting us in an awkward position to declare war on "terror"-- Terrorism is a strategy that works in support of a belief system, not a belief system unto itself. It was silly posturing and should never have been declared in the first place, since it is something that can never truly be "won". We need to declare war against concrete things: people, organizations, that sort of thing.

I still wear my GWOT but if anything I see it as a reminder that some politics bear a terrible price.

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made Jun 26 at 2015 10:32 PM

CPT Pedro Meza — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 22:32:19 -0400

PVT Micah-el Baxter, your Military life is just beginning start by referring to your Commander in Chief as President Obama, next I am a Vietnam Area, Latin America and Afghan veteran, I do not consider myself a GWOT veterans. Also you are the future do not get caught up in the ideological beliefs of others so keep an open mind and respect All Americans.

Response by SSgt Charles Edwards made Jun 26 at 2015 10:54 PM

SSgt Charles Edwards — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 22:54:35 -0400

The war on terror will never be over--not as long as there are groups who hate America, our principles or way of life. There can never be peace when people are being executed because of their beliefs. No, the war on terror is far from over. Until we can all live under a banner of peace, harmony and prosperity there will always be an ongoing battle to fight those who seek to do others harm.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 26 at 2015 11:02 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 23:02:17 -0400

I will never understand how our president can sit there and say things like this day in and day out when we all know this will never end.

Response by SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL made Jun 26 at 2015 11:03 PM

SFC Joe S. Davis Jr., MSM, DSL — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 23:03:04 -0400

It would be nice to hear, however as long there is unknown that becomes a known, there will be terror. America the beauty will always stand the test of time. Duty Honor Country.

Response by SPC Steven Nihipali made Jun 26 at 2015 11:24 PM

SPC Steven Nihipali — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 23:24:39 -0400

Obama didn't end the war... Bush did. Obama ended combat operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan, the day he stripped my ability to return for being fired upon, the war was over. You cannot fight a war politically.

Response by SPC Nathan Freeman made Jun 26 at 2015 11:41 PM

SPC Nathan Freeman — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 23:41:17 -0400

It could have been over if we had stayed and finished what we started. Now it's spreading everywhere like a grease fire

Response by LTC John Shaw made Jun 26 at 2015 11:45 PM

LTC John Shaw — Fri, 26 Jun 2015 23:45:53 -0400

I think the Obama administration is confused about GWOT, the results of the poor policy are showing.

Just because this CoC wants to take the US off a war footing doesn't mean the enemy will stop.

Response by MCPO Brian Legg made Jun 27 at 2015 1:05 AM

MCPO Brian Legg — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 01:05:51 -0400

We won? Cool!
Oh wait, was he speaking again?

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2015 1:36 AM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 01:36:36 -0400

It is never over as long as ISIS, Taliban and AL Quiada still exists. Hope that Obama doesn't make the same mistake W Bush made saying mission accomplished on board an aircraft carrier.

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2015 3:54 AM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 03:54:44 -0400

It will never end. Never. As long as there are terrorists willing to do harm to others, the war against them will never be over.

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jun 27 at 2015 4:55 AM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 04:55:52 -0400

I remember when former President Bush said all combat mission were over with in Iraq then all hell broke lose.

Response by CW3 Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2015 7:27 AM

CW3 Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 07:27:23 -0400

We can end the war on terror but the terrorist haven't ended the war on us. We can debate semantics, change catchy poll tested slogans, and try our best to act like we're not at war --but there's a large network of tens of thousands of really bad people who want nothing more than to kill Americans and attack our interest abroad. We will be involved in something that looks a lot like a global war with people who use a tactic that looks like terror for a while. I guess people can call it what they want.

Response by PVT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2015 8:41 AM

PVT Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 08:41:03 -0400

A little mad. Didn't get my chance to go fight.

Response by MAJ Ron Peery made Jun 27 at 2015 11:17 AM

MAJ Ron Peery — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 11:17:03 -0400

The current war has been called the War on Terror, the Long War, and several other names. Whatever you call it, it is not over, and will not be over, until we define the enemy, get a real declaration of war out of Congress, and take decisive action to destroy our enemies. I think of it as the war on Salafist Islam since that seems to be the most prevalent ideological position of the people attacking us. "Those people", as Gen Lee used to call his opponents, started this war. We can end it favorably only when we as a nation get serious. "Those people" will not stop attacking us until we kill enough of them that they fear us above everything else on earth.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Jun 27 at 2015 1:31 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 13:31:13 -0400

No, you did not mishear the President PVT Private RallyPoint Member He said it very simply and plainly. The War on Terror is over. In fact, he has gone so far as to forbid any and all in his Administration to even use the term. Sadly, the terrorists didn't get the word. They continue to fight. Indeed, they have ramped up the fight. Maybe they did get the word and merely interpreted the President's message as a surrender...

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2015 7:46 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 19:46:50 -0400

I would tell you just because he says it is doesn't mean the enemy agree's.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 27 at 2015 8:12 PM

SFC Private RallyPoint Member — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 20:12:27 -0400

A war cannot be 'declared' over by any stretch!! The only way for a war to end is for the looser to stop fighting. Has this happened yet? Nope: war continues whether we are fighting it or not. They are certainly fighting U.S. and our allies!!!

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Jun 27 at 2015 11:24 PM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Sat, 27 Jun 2015 23:24:30 -0400

PVT Private RallyPoint Member, President Obama, the President, Mr. President, Mr. Obama, or Lord and Master are all acceptable titles for the President except for the last one for service members.

Response by SGT Roberto Mendoza-Diaz made Jun 28 at 2015 6:43 AM

SGT Roberto Mendoza-Diaz — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 06:43:53 -0400

If the war on terror is over, then what do you call what just happened in Tunisia this past Friday?

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Jun 28 at 2015 11:25 AM

LTC Bink Romanick — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 11:25:48 -0400

Not sure what comment that you're referring to, can you please expand?

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2015 11:36 AM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 11:36:51 -0400

Is it that the government is trying to shift away from using this phrase, "War on Terror" and move to something more concrete by naming specific targets or locations instead. It doesn't necessarily mean we're out of the business of combating ISIS, Taliban, Al Quiada or any other organization deemed to be a terrorist organization. Perhaps this phrase shouldn't have ever been used in the first place.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 28 at 2015 6:16 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 18:16:33 -0400

Nothing has ended. They can create a new phase of operations as part of a campaign ie new dawn but it's just another phase of ongoing war on terror

Response by Cpl Mischa Brady made Jun 29 at 2015 11:33 AM

Cpl Mischa Brady — Mon, 29 Jun 2015 11:33:45 -0400

Tunisia, France, and Kuwait should say otherwise!

Response by SGT Scott Henderson made Jul 1 at 2015 2:06 PM

SGT Scott Henderson — Wed, 01 Jul 2015 14:06:31 -0400

It will never be "over" for at least a few reasons. Namely, the war on terror is a war against an ideology; you can't win that war with bullets and bombs. Even if we went genocidal and killed everyone of Muslim faith and destroyed every religious text and every reference to the religion and its beliefs. It comes down to ideology and individual interpretation and we would probably end up fighting Christian terrorists or antigay terrorists, or whatever. Remember, a terrorist is just someone or a group who uses terror to forward a political agenda. Without brainwashing every person on the plane from birth there will always be people who take any belief; religious or otherwise; too far.

Response by CPL Eric Allen made Jul 3 at 2015 2:59 AM

CPL Eric Allen — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 02:59:01 -0400

It will never be over most of the countries we tried to help free won't be free of terror till they have hard leadership. That will take on all enemies and not run

Response by LTC Bink Romanick made Jul 3 at 2015 10:31 AM

LTC Bink Romanick — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 10:31:35 -0400

Its President Obama

Response by SGT Frank Leonardo made Jul 3 at 2015 4:46 PM

SGT Frank Leonardo — Fri, 03 Jul 2015 16:46:19 -0400

It will never be over as long as there are terrorists doing there job terrorizing the world and the USA want to be the world police

Response by SPC David Hannaman made Jul 16 at 2015 9:31 AM

SPC David Hannaman — Thu, 16 Jul 2015 09:31:42 -0400

Politicians will always say what they think people want to hear in order to get themselves (or their party) re-elected.