United States Department of Defense

The United States provided humanitarian aid to thousands of civilians fleeing from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, a terrorist group known as ISIL, in early August in northern Iraq. On Aug. 8, one day after President Barack Obama authorized airstrikes to protect Americans in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, two F/A-18 aircraft conducted the first attack against ISIL. The effort to degrade and destroy ISIL continued through August. In early September, Obama, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Secretary of State John Kerry attended a NATO summit in Wales, where the three leaders helped form an anti-ISIL coalition. As ISIL's aggression continued, U.S. and coalition partner nations began airstrikes in Syria in late September. As the year draws to a close, the multinational effort to eliminate the terror group is ongoing.

The United States demonstrated its continued commitment to the Asia-Pacific region, where the Defense Department has deployed more than 350,000 troops. President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, each visited the region in 2014. Work has discussed plans to move 60 percent of Air Force and Navy forces there by 2020. In October, the United States and Japan began revising the guidelines for bilateral defense cooperation in light of increased cyber threats and the growing threat posed by North Korea. The effort marks the first revision of the guidelines since 1997.

U.S. and NATO leaders will conclude their combat mission in Afghanistan at the end of 2014, decreasing U.S. troop levels to no more than 10,800. Coalition forces are transitioning to Operation Resolute Support, focusing on training, advising and assisting Afghan forces to assume full responsibility for Afghan security. As a drawdown milestone, the International Security Assistance Force Joint Command, which handled daily operations for five years, cased its colors Dec. 8.

The United States continued to demonstrate its commitment to the collective security of NATO allies and partner nations in Europe by participating in multinational training exercises throughout the year as part of Operation Atlantic Resolve. That commitment proceeded as Russia illegally annexed Crimea and pro-Russian separatists took control of part of Ukraine. The United States was one of 15 nations to participate in Rapid Trident, an exercise in Ukraine, while tensions continued between Ukrainian forces and separatists.

With a deadly outbreak of the Ebola virus in West Africa, the U.S. mobilized to help stop the spread of the disease. Supporting the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Defense Department launched Operation United Assistance in late September, under U.S. Africa Command. U.S. service members deployed to West Africa to build treatment facilities and support efforts – but not to serve where they could have contact with Ebola patients. At home, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel created a 30-person medical support team to respond to Ebola cases in the United States. Doctors with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases in Frederick, Md., have continued research to find a vaccine against Ebola.

The Defense Department continued wrestling with the budget realities of sequestration. In congressional testimony April 9, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said sequestration could cause force reductions of 213,000 soldiers. On April 15, department officials released a report documenting the sequester's detrimental impact on force levels and modernization efforts. In September, Odierno reiterated his concerns: "It will be very difficult for us to lead around the world." Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said sequestration also posed significant problems in maintaining technical superiority.

Service members from across the forces helped civilia-n authorities respond to a variety of disasters at home and abroad throughout the year. The missions took U.S. personnel to the Indian Ocean to search for a passenger jet that mysteriously disappeared, and saw them battle diverse conditions from mudslides to wildfires.

In January, the Defense Department began a seven-month mission to help the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons neutralize Syria's stockpile of about 700 metric tons of chemical materials. More than 60 chemical specialists from the Army's Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, Md., deployed to the MV Cape Ray. Crews used hydrolysis systems to neutralize the chemicals aboard the ship in the Mediterranean Sea, completing the work in August.

In May, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel ordered a comprehensive review of the Military Health System, which cares for 9.6 million beneficiaries. Health care professionals visited seven military treatment facilities to gather information from staff and patients. An October report determined the system provides quality care, but made five recommendations:

• Take immediate action to improve underperformance
• Develop a quality and patient analytics system
• Guarantee transparency of information
• Create new governance models that include collaboration among the services, the Defense Health Agency and the defense secretary
• Create common standards and processes to improve outcomes

In February, former and active-duty soldiers from the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program captured five medals in bobsled, luge and skeleton events at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. During the 2014 Paralympic Games that followed, five wounded warrior athletes won medals. In the fall, U.S. warrior athletes competed in the inaugural Invictus Games in London and the Warrior Games in Colorado. While there, the Army team won the Chairman's Cup as the top-performing service branch.