Formally established on 17 October 2014 by the Department of Defense as means to coordinate and formalize military responses to the threat posed by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR) originated in June of that year as the Joint Forces Land Component Command (JFLCC) under U.S. Army Central Command. In a matter of weeks, JFLCC was seeking out engaging ISIS forces, first with air strikes and then with both offensive and defensive actions using combined forces, with notable successes including a rescue operation at Sinjar Mountain (rescuing trapped Yazidi civilians), the reclamation of the Mosul and Haditha Dams, and repulsing enemy offensives at Baghdad and Kirkuk.
United States Army Central Command was redesignated the Combined Forces Land Component Command on 17 September 2014, which eventually led to the creation of CJTF-OIR, which quickly took control of the resources and contributions of over five dozen Coalition partners in Syria and Iraq. Just over a year later, III Corps was given the mantle of authority for CJTF-OIR and set to work implementing a strategy of increasing pressure on ISIS by bringing new resources and capabilities to bear in the fight.
III Corps assumed authority of CJTF-OIR from ARCENT on 22 September 2015 and immediately initiated an aggressive plan to increase pressure on ISIS and bring new capabilities to bear throughout the theater of operations. Focusing Coalition fires on ISIS leaders and infrastructure, the CJTF-OIR began to drastically degrade its ability not only to govern, but also to raise funds of for men and materiel. Under III Corps command, over 15,000 airstrikes demolished enemy military equipment and strongholds and provided the force with freedom of action. Operation Tidal Wave II targeted ISIS’ oil-collection facilities and infrastructure, reducing oil revenue by $25 million per month.
In August 2016, XVIII Airborne Corps assumed authority over the CJTIF-OIR.
The Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve Combat Service Identification Badge (CSIB) features a palm wreath overlaid with the yellow hand guards of two diagonally crossed scimitars with white blades, with three five-pointed stars. The three stars stand for the command, while the scimitars represent the two goals of the Task Force: defeat of ISIS and the restoration of peace to the region.