There was a time when even the mention of ISIS would bring up the fear in people, however in the last two years we have seen a massive decline in their influence as well as strategic hold in Iraq and Syria.
One could postulate that ISIS, is more than just an organisation but an ideology, and some part of this thesis could be true, however if the land is not held by their soldiers, then they lose strategic value and compromise their ideology from spreading.
Despite the regular servings of gruesome execution videos to social media and the internet, and some irregular attacks on Western cities, ISIS has been floundering for some time.
The reason for this loss of territory, is of course the age old configuration. Without any air force, or control of the air, no military unit can ever survive long term in today’s technological age.
Not only has ISIS been beaten down with US, and other Allied air supremacy but by Russian and Syrian air strikes. There is no army that can ever survive such an onslaught with capitulating territory and receiving massive losses of infrastructure and men.
The loss of Mosul, and other major towns and cities in Iraq, as well as in Syria show that air supremacy is king. Without the jets, the military infrastructure to house and maintain the air forces, satellites, pilot training, vast spending on research and development, a military force is nothing but a sitting duck.
Therefore, unless ISIS somehow gain these attributes, they will eventually disappear and be pushed back further into the caves and tunnels of some mountain region.
Without the air, there is little or no chance for ISIS.
