The top brass from 22 nations allied to fight Islamic State militants convened face to face for the first time Tuesday just outside Washington, D.C., but the historic meeting resulted in no major announcements about the American-led war in Iraq and Syria.

U.S. military officials said the defense chiefs who met at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, did not discuss any significant change in military strategy but talked at length about the specific military capabilities that each nation can contribute to the overall mission.

The rare event was capped by a visit from President Obama, who sat at the head of the table flanked by four-star officers from across Europe and the Middle East.

"This is an operation that involves the world against ISIL," Obama said, using an alternate acronym for the Islamic militants.

"So far we have seen some important success," Obama said, pointing to the August recapture of Iraq's Mosul dam from the militants, and the breaking of the Islamic State's siege on Iraq's Mount Sinjar, where the militants had trapped thousands of Iraqi Yazidis.

But Obama also acknowledged the relentless fighting in al Anbar Province, where the militants reportedly have seized large swaths of territory reaching into the western outskirts of Baghdad. And he noted the Islamic State's advance on the predominantly Kurdish city of Kobani in Syria.

"There will be days of progress and there are going to be periods of setback," Obama said. "This is going to be a long-term campaign, there are no quick fixes. But our coalition is united behind this long-term effort."

The 21 countries in addition the U.S. that attended the meeting were: Iraq, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Lebanon, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom.

The military leaders discussed the need for non-military solutions, Obama said.

"One thing has also been emphasized here today — that this is not simply a military campaign," he said. "This is not a classic army which you defeat them on the battlefield and they surrender. What you are also fighting is an ideological strain that has taken root in too many parts of the region. You are dealing with sectarianism … you are dealing with economic deprivation."

The meeting was hosted by Army Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and marks the first major gathering of the coalition since U.S. airstrikes began in Iraq on Aug. 8.

The meeting ran several hours behind closed doors marked "Secret" inside a conference hall at Joint Base Andrews. During a lunch break, dozens of top military officials in varied uniforms milled about in the conference hall's lobby.

In addition to Dempsey, other top U.S. officers in attendance included Army Gen. Lloyd Austin, chief of U.S. Central Command; Army Gen. Joseph Votel, chief of U.S. Special Operations Command; and Vice Adm. Frank Pandolfe, the Joint Staff's J-5, or Director for Strategic Plans and Policy.

In most cases, the attending nations were represented by their defense chief. Turkey, however, was not, opting instead to send its military staff's "J-3," or director of operations.

Relations with Turkey have been strained in recent weeks. U.S. officials have pressured the Turks to do more in the fight against the Islamic State, both for symbolic and operational reasons. A big role for Turkey would be a diplomatic victory because it is among the largest predominantly Sunni countries in the Middle East and also would be important operationally because Turkey shares a border with both Iraq and Syria.

In particular, the U.S. wants full access the Turkish airbase at Incirlik. For now, the Turks have granted the U.S. access only for intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance flights but not for fighters and bombers mounting airstrikes.

About Andrew Tilghman

Andrew Tilghman is the executive editor for Military Times. He is a former Military Times Pentagon reporter and served as a Middle East correspondent for the Stars and Stripes. Before covering the military, he worked as a reporter for the Houston Chronicle in Texas, the Albany Times Union in New York and The Associated Press in Milwaukee.

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