With the fall of both Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria, the Islamic State caliphate that was supposed to be the start of a bigger and better unified Islamice world hit a major setback.
I hear some talking about online information operations (WebOps, it has been called) to exploit the success to undermine the ideology of Islamist extremism and reduce the appeal of joining the jihad.
But victory on the battlefield is the major way we can undermine the ideology that claims God will help them overcome Earthly power.
My view is that LeadOps will be how we contribute to victory, as I argued earlier in the year when Mosul was being liberated:
I'd focus on killing jihadis and smashing up jihadi organizations and sanctuaries, but that's just me. Did we really have a RadioOps information war in World War II to persuade potential Nazis to turn away from Hitler? Or did we pound the Nazis into the ground and delegitimize their ideology with our victory and their defeat? WebOps, indeed. Sounds like it is more funding-magnet jargon than a real part of the war. Be the strong horse and they'll slink away into the shadows.
The Islamic world must exploit the battlefield victory over ISIL to win their civil war over who defines what Islam will be in the 21st century.
