Operation Name-That-Mission: The Hunt for Military Monikers

For weeks, military planners have debated a thorny strategic problem. In recent days, they sent a suggestion to the Pentagon’s top brass.

It was rejected. America’s newest war won’t be called Operation Inherent Resolve.

Two months since war planes first started striking Islamic State targets, operations in Iraq and Syria don’t have a fancy name. One of the generic placeholders found on classified Pentagon PowerPoint slides reads: “Operations in Iraq and Syria.”

To some military officers, Inherent Resolve didn’t properly evoke the Middle East. Others faulted it for failing to highlight the international coalition the U.S. had assembled. Still others simply found it uninspiring....

Privately, Pentagon officials say they don’t want a bad name. Army historians note the military is careful with acronyms, noting a couple of rejects including Operation Afghan Freedom (OAF) and Operation Iraqi Liberation (OIL).