Mike, who do you think are America’s “allies,” according to your definition, nowadays? 

Interesting bit of history:  at one point the term “GWOT” fell out of favor within the DOD.  I was an Operations Officer for the Joint Chiefs of Staff’s “Global War On Terror” Intelligence Task Force in the Pentagon.  We remained the “GWOT ITF” throughout much of the SOF and conventional forces ground campaign in Afghanistan in 2001. 

Then, in early 2002, SECDEF Rumsfeld directed that we drop the word “Global” from the name.  Apparently it made it sound like we were out to conquer the world, when in fact we were focused on the CENTCOM AOR (Afghanistan, India/Pakistan and Iraq).

Personally, I thought that was a mistake.  At the time, the DOD was tracking terrorist groups in the Phillippines, Horn of Africa, Indonesia (the Bali bombings didn’t happen until 2003) and Chechnya.  Sure sounded like a Global War to me.

Also—who wants to work for a “WOT ITF?” 

our veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan are officially GWOT’s. They are veterans of the Global War on Terror.

I’d like to nominate the following additions to that group of “GWOT veterans” our troops helping combat the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in the Phillippines; our troops in the Horn of Africa; the US advisors in Georgia (the former USSR state, NOT the US Southern state); the US forces assisting the Colombian government; the many, many Soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coasties keeping our borders and Ports of Entry safe and secure; and the others I’ve assuredly missed.