What were the major military operations launched by Barack Obama?
Executive summary
Barack Obama presided over a mix of large-scale and limited military operations that reshaped U.S. force posture: a troop surge and later drawdown in Afghanistan, a NATO-led air campaign in Libya, a multiyear covert and overt drone and special‑operations campaign across Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia, and a return of U.S. airpower and advisors to Iraq and Syria to fight the Islamic State (ISIS) — alongside discrete special operations such as the raid that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011 [1][2][3][4][5].
1. Afghanistan: surge, transition to training, and enduring counterterror presence
Early in his presidency Obama authorized a troop increase in Afghanistan — tens of thousands more troops were deployed as part of a counterinsurgency strategy — then shifted to drawdown and a training mission when major combat operations ended and Resolute Support began on January 1, 2015 [1][3][6].
2. Libya 2011: a sustained air campaign to topple Qaddafi under a coalition banner
In 2011 the Obama administration supported and took part in a sustained bombing campaign and coalition operations in Libya that helped overthrow Muammar Qaddafi; the intervention relied on air power and partners rather than a large U.S. ground presence [7][4].
3. The covert and overt “drone wars”: Pakistan, Yemen, Somalia and the normalization of strikes
A hallmark of Obama’s use of force was the expansion of targeted killings and drone strikes: the administration dramatically increased strikes in Pakistan, conducted persistent strikes in Yemen and Somalia, and institutionalized a program that combined CIA and Pentagon authorities, resulting in hundreds of strikes across multiple countries [8][2][7][9].
4. Iraq and Syria: returning airpower and advisors to confront ISIS, and restraint over Assad
When ISIS exploded across Iraq and Syria in 2014, the Obama administration launched a multinational air campaign and deployed advisers and special operations forces to support Iraqi and partner Syrian forces against ISIL, while repeatedly threatening and at times preparing force over Syrian chemical‑weapons use but seeking congressional backing before a major strike [4][10][1].
5. Discrete special operations and counterterror victories: bin Laden, Kony attempts, and regional missions
Obama authorized high‑risk, small‑footprint operations that include the May 2, 2011 Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, special‑operations deployments into Central Africa aimed at Joseph Kony, and targeted captures/kill missions tied to counter‑terror objectives in Africa and elsewhere [5][7].
6. Other deployments and proxy support: Yemen, Saudi coalition assistance, anti‑piracy and covert programs
Beyond strikes and raids, the administration provided logistical and intelligence support to partner campaigns (for example to the Saudi coalition in Yemen), deployed forces for anti‑piracy missions in the Indian Ocean, and backed covert programs supplying and training rebels in Syria — efforts that critics say blurred lines between diplomacy and proxy warfare [3][7][4][9].
7. How many countries and the debate over “initiation” of hostilities
Scholars and analysts count U.S. lethal force under Obama in at least seven countries — commonly listed as Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Somalia — and debate centers on whether these constituted new “wars” initiated by the president or continuations/adjustments of post‑9/11 authorities such as the 2001 AUMF [10][9][3].
8. Competing narratives, transparency, and the politics of restraint versus intervention
Supporters argue Obama balanced withdrawal from large occupations with precise counterterrorism tools and coalition diplomacy; critics contend he expanded the use of force through drones, arms sales and covert activity while failing to craft clear strategies in places like Syria and Iraq — a tension visible in contemporary analyses that fault transparency and measurable strategy under his watch [8][4][11].