Readout of the President’s Meeting with the National Security Council on ISIL

This afternoon at the Department of State, the President met with his National Security Council to discuss the status of the comprehensive campaign to counter ISIL.  He received an update on the political and security situation in Iraq and Syria.  The President reviewed ongoing coalition efforts to help train, advise, and equip Iraqi ground forces to reinforce their capacity to effectively counter ISIL.  He also discussed ways to continue to support and strengthen the moderate Syrian opposition in coordination with regional partners.

Participants in today’s meeting included:

• The Vice President
• John Kerry, Secretary of State
• Jacob Lew, Secretary of the Treasury
• Chuck Hagel, Secretary of Defense
• Jeh Johnson, Secretary of Homeland Security
• Denis McDonough, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
• Susan Rice, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs
• Amb. Samantha Power, Representative of the United States of America to the United Nations
• John Podesta, Counselor to the President
• Antony Blinken, Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Advisor
• Lisa Monaco, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism
• Katie Beirne Fallon, Assistant to the President and Director of the Office of Legislative Affairs
• James Cole, Deputy Attorney General
• Wendy Sherman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs
• Christine Wormuth, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
• James Comey, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (via videoconference)
• John Brennan, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
• GEN Martin Dempsey, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
• GEN Lloyd Austin, Commander, U.S. Central Command (via videoconference)
• Nicholas Rasmussen, Acting Director of the National Counterterrorism Center
• Michael Dempsey, Deputy Director of National Intelligence
• John Allen, Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL (via videoconference)
• Suzanne George, Deputy Assistant to the President and Executive Secretary and Chief of Staff of the National Security Council
• Colin Kahl, Deputy Assistant to the President and National Security Advisor to the Vice President
• Brett McGurk, Deputy Special Presidential Envoy for the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL (via videoconference)
• Philip Gordon, Special Assistant to the President and White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa, and Gulf Region