Kerry urges Syrians to fight 'Isis first' as Obama rules out combat mission – as it happened

“I’m not here to give a long speech … I’ve just [had briefings with your commanders]. I met with representatives from 40 nations, it is a true team effort here at MacDill. I came here to say the same thing I’ve been saying to troops at bases around this country, around the world … and that is thank you. On behalf of the American people, I say thank you … for your sacrifice, for your commitment to each other, and for your commitment to your country.”

“Most of all I want to thank all the military spouses … they’re the force behind the force. I spent time with some of them last night, and it’s clear why our military is the best in the world, and it’s because their families are fighting alongside them.”

He gives a shout to each of the branches of the military, drawing a laugh after the coast guard gets virtually no response from the crowd. Obama says “We love our coast guard.”

“Hello MacDill!

I want to thank General Austin for his introduction … he’s done such extraordinary work commanding our forces in Iraq. I want to thank someone else for his service … Chuck Hagel, give it up for Chuck.”

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Obama calls for applause for four-star General Joe Votel, describing his service in Vietnam, and heading up special forces in current operations. Obama’s calls for applause for MacDill’s senator and a number of commanders.

And with that Austin introduces Obama to the soldiers’ applause and a military band fanfare.

General Austin continues:

“Our nation and our military have been extraordinarily busy over the past decade plus … Much of your focus have been directed at tough areas of the world where there has been … much conflict. [Your work] has an appreciable impact on the security of our homeland.”

“The sacrifices that you make are very much appreciated. … [The president’s] presence here today is a testament to your service.”

General Lloyd Austin and Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel have just entered the Central Command auditorium, and Austin is about to introduce the president.

General Lloyd is thanking the troops and saying it was an honor to service alongside them in Afghanistan and Iraq.

General Dempsey could have sent out “a trial balloon” by suggesting “close combat advisers” could “accompany” Iraqi and Kurdish forces, a trio of NBC reporters opines.

Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Carrie Dann lay out how Obama’s speech could relate to Dempsey’s comments:

[It’s possible] Dempsey was just being the responsible, honest general laying out all of the options (and it should be no surprise that the military commanders have favored introducing combat troops).

[Or] Dempsey’s remarks were planned and represent a shift or trial balloon by the administration, especially since the ground-troop component remains one of the Obama strategy’s biggest questions (where are the troops going to come from?).

That’s why Obama’s speech … will be important to hear. Does he repeat his vow that US combat forces aren’t an option? Or does he nudge forward the door that Dempsey opened yesterday? Or does he avoid it altogether (which may be a tacit way of allowing the trial balloon to continue to float)? For its part, the White House says that Dempsey opening the door was simply him providing a range of all options.

You can read the full piece here.

The Guardian’s Jason Burke has written an analysis of Isis’ latest video, which he notes is slick, aimed at a western audience and seemingly designed for mobile.

It’s striking that the video is almost devoid of any sense of place, and that there is almost no text at any point in the video; what there is appears in both Arabic and English. The only spoken words are those of Barack Obama. This is a production which appears deliberately made to appeal, or indeed repulse, anywhere in the world.

The second striking feature is that the video is entirely devoid of the debased religious content so characteristic of the genre. The religious songs so common elsewhere are absent.

Of course, like most jihadi propaganda, these images are designed to reinforce the idea that those signing up to join Isis are taking part in a war pitting belief against unbelief, good against evil, right against wrong, in a cosmic struggle that will last for millennia.

You can read the full piece here.

The Pentagon opened the door to more active US military action yesterday, as General Martin Dempsey – who has for years warned about “unintended consequences” of US intervention in Syria – said: “If we reach the point where I believe our advisers should accompany Iraqi troops on attacks against specific [Isis] targets, I will recommend that to the president.”

The Guardian’s Spencer Ackerman reports:

He also opened the door to using US “advisers” to call in air strikes from the ground, something Dempsey said they have thus far not done but which the US Central Command leader, General Lloyd Austin, initially thought would be necessary when pushing Isis away from the Mosul Dam last month.

“He shares my view that there will be circumstances when we think that’ll be necessary, but we haven’t encountered one yet,” said Dempsey, himself a veteran of the last Iraq war.

“At this point, his stated policy is we will not have US ground forces in direct combat,” Dempsey said, to include spotting for US air strikes. “But he has told me as well to come back to him on a case-by-case basis.”

Isis’s ultimate defeat will be a “generational” effort that takes years, Dempsey said, during which “moderate” Muslims abandon its ideology – raising questions about what the US military’s actual endpoint will be in pursuing the goal of “degrading and ultimately defeating” Isis, Obama’s stated goal.

You can read the full piece here.

Welcome to our live coverage of President Obama’s speech at Central Command, near Tampa, Florida, where he will deliver remarks at 11.50am about US operations against Isis militants in Iraq and Syria.

Obama is currently at MacDill air force base and thanking US military personnel for their service, and his speech follows on the heels of Tuesday’s testimony by two Pentagon chiefs, defense secretary Chuck Hagel, and General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff.

Dempsey startled many by saying US troops could “accompany” Iraqi forces in combat missions and serve as “close combat advisers” – signalling that the Pentagon could be open to a combat role for American forces only a week after the president reiterated that US troops would not participate in combat.

The US campaign against Isis expanded Monday, with the 162nd air strike and the number of American troops assisting Iraqi and Kurdish forces now numbering almost 1,700. The US has also authorized targeted assassinations of Isis leaders, including Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-proclaimed caliph of the Islamic State. Isis militants released two videos in less than a week, one purporting to show the killing of a British hostage and the other threatening an attack on US soil.

Later today, Secretary of State John Kerry will testify to the Senate committee on foreign relations, and the House of Representatives will vote on whether to give authorization to train Syrian rebels, all of which we’ll be covering with input from national security editor Spencer Ackerman (@attackerman) and Washington bureau chief Dan Roberts (@RobertsDan).