Obama makes rare trip to Pentagon for wide-ranging briefing

President Obama made a rare trip to the Pentagon Wednesday to get an update from top commanders about the fight against Islamic State extremists, the military mission to contain the Ebola virus in West Africa and other operations around the globe.

Seated at a table flanked by the service chiefs and four-star combatant commanders, Obama described his private meeting as a rundown of the challenges facing the military today.

In Iraq and Syria, Obama said: “Our strikes continue alongside our partners. It remains a difficult mission. As I’ve indicated from the start, this is not something that is going to be solved overnight.”

“The good news is, is that there is a broad-based consensus not just in the region but among nations of the world that [Islamic State] is a threat to world peace, security and order, that their barbaric behavior has to be dealt with.”

In West Africa, “our military is essentially building an infrastructure that does not exist in order to facilitate the transportation of personnel and supplies” for treating Ebola patients, Obama said.

“We are doing it in a way that ensures that our men and women are safe,” he added. “That has been my top priority, and I’ve instructed folks we’re not going to compromise the health and safety of our armed services.”

“But what’s true is, we have unique capabilities that nobody else has. And as a consequence of us getting in early and building that platform, we’re now able to leverage resources from other countries and move with speed and effectiveness to curb that epidemic,” Obama said.

The private meeting with commanders that Obama described lasted less than an hour inside the Defense Secretary’s dining room.

In Europe, Obama said military commanders are facing “an increased threat posed by Russia,” and are focused on reassuring allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

In the Pacific, Obama said “our alliances in that area have never been stronger” and that the Navy will “continue to maintain a presence that ensures freedom of navigation.”

Obama said he and his team also discussed the Defense Department’s budget and the efforts to make “our forces leaner, meaner, more effective, more tailored to the specific challenges of the 21st century.” But, he added, he hopes to work with Congress to avoid the “draconian cuts” to defense spending known as sequestration.

Obama also thanked soon-to-be retiring Marine Corps Commandant James Amos, who will step down next week.

Obama met privately with senior military leaders as well as his National Security Council.

The last time Obama visited the Pentagon was in 2011 as the department was beginning to face reductions in planned spending and force cuts. On Wednesday he offered no specific reason for the rare visit.

“I thought, although usually we do this over the White House, now was a good time for me to come over to the Pentagon and have an opportunity to hear from our top military about the work that they’re doing,” Obama said.

He lauded the military’s performance in this time of “turbulence.”

“We put enormous burdens and enormous strains on our men and women of the armed forces, and each and every time, the members of our armed services, our troops perform in exemplary fashion. I think at a time when there’s so much turbulence in the world, never during my presidency has it become more apparent how good our military is, but also how they can tackle a wide range of problems and not just a narrow set of problems. It’s not just the finest military in the history of the world, it’s also just one of the best organizations we’ve ever seen at doing a whole bunch of different stuff,” Obama said.