Chain of Command

The chain of command of the U.S. armed forces in the war on violent extremism stretches around the globe, with service members on the front lines in eastern Mosul, Iraq; on bases in the Persian Gulf, monitoring Middle East airspace; and back in Washington, D.C., overseeing the entire effort. In the premiere of Chain of Command, we get exclusive, striking glimpses of how the war of our generation is being waged — and how it might be won.

In Chain of Command’s second episode, the war against extremism continues around the globe. In Iraq, after the American and Iraqi coalition gains control of eastern Mosul, the fight shifts to the city’s west side. Meanwhile, a Marine sergeant prepares to deploy to Afghanistan, and on the Caribbean island of Trinidad, the Muslim community struggles to grapple with the alarming reality of their young people leaving the country to fight for ISIS.

In Chain of Command’s third episode, the scope of the war on extremism is – literally, and emotionally – on full display. While the battle for Mosul rages in Iraq, in South America, U.S. agents work with their counterparts in Colombia to prevent ISIS from making it to U.S. shores. Meanwhile, in Maine, a husband and wife prepare to leave their young children behind as they deploy for Afghanistan.

As Chain of Command continues, in every facet of the war on extremism there’s the recognition of how long the fight will go. In Mosul, the battle may be nearly won, but ISIS is still recruiting foreign fighters from far and wide, including the unlikely setting of Trinidad and Tobago, where Muslim leaders are the tip of the spear in the fight. The spread of ISIS ideology is a reminder that this is just the end of the beginning of the war.

As U.S. forces battle violent extremism around the globe, no setting has been more vexing over the last decade and a half than Afghanistan. Now Marines have returned to the country to advise and assist the Afghan army, which has been struggling badly in fighting with the Taliban. As the Marines work to better the fortunes of their allies, an officer burns the midnight oil to watch on Skype as his son is born back home.

In Afghanistan, U.S. Marines continue to work to overcome challenges while advising and assisting the Afghan National Army. Meanwhile, the Pentagon keeps focus on extremist threats around the globe. Military leaders discuss the growing concerns in Africa, deploying special operations forces uniquely equipped to handle threats there. And in Panama, a U.S. special agent joins local security forces tracking migrants for terrorist threats.

On an aircraft carrier off the coast of Syria, the United States launches air strikes, looking to finish off ISIS and its caliphate. Meanwhile, in Afghanistan, the focus of the U.S. forces is on rooting out corruption in the Afghan army. And in Africa, American soldiers bond with their Somali counterparts during training exercises, while U.S. Army Special Forces prepare for a deployment to Niger.

The war on terror looks different across the world. At Camp Shorab in Afghanistan, a group of Marines prepare to return home, but are surrounded by reminders of the dangers still haunting the country. Meanwhile in Niger, U.S. Army Special Forces work with local forces to combat extremism, but tragedy strikes when four Americans are killed in an attack. As the losses are mourned, the war against violent extremism continues.

With extensive new access from the Pentagon, go inside the US military’s mission to combat violent extremism, and see how decisions at the top impact service members fighting on the front lines.