U.S. Sailors prepare to launch aircraft on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) in the Persian Gulf Oct. 18, 2014, as the ship supports Inherent Resolve. President Barack Obama authorized humanitarian aid deliveries to Iraq as well as targeted airstrikes to protect U.S. personnel from extremists known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant. U.S. Central Command directed the operations.