American officials are hoping to expand the coalition to many countries, particularly in the region. Obama administration officials said privately that in addition to the participants at the meeting Friday, the United States was hoping to get quiet intelligence help about the Sunni militants from Jordan. Its leader, King Abdullah II, was attending the Wales summit meeting.

United States officials said they also expected Saudi Arabia to contribute to funding moderate Syrian rebel groups. In addition, Yousef Al Otaiba, the United Arab Emirates ambassador to the United States, said in a statement this week that the Emirates stood ready to join the fight against ISIS. "No one has more at stake than the U.A.E. and other moderate countries in the region that have rejected the regressive Islamist creed and embraced a different, forward-looking path," the ambassador said.

David Johnson, a former Army lieutenant colonel who is executive director of the Center for Advanced Defense Studies in Washington, said contractors aren't considered "boots on the ground" in conflict zones.

"The government always seeks to minimize boots on the ground to reduce domestic political risk," he said in an email. "The American people and media do not consider a paid contractor to represent them in the same way that they do a soldier."

Using contractors, who, most studies show, are cheaper than soldiers, trims the official presence and still accomplishes the logistical and security objectives, he said.

" Contractors are carrying a greater share of the load in Afghanistan these days as well. The U.S. plans to reduce the number of troops deployed there to fewer than 10,000 by year's end but, according to a Congressional Research Service report, the number of contractors in Afghanistan ballooned to 108,000 last March at a time when 65,700 U.S. troops were there."

"Johnson said vast numbers of contractors would likely remain in Afghanistan as troop levels declined."

"We just put another 350 people on the ground in an effort to build up our advisor capacity." Guess they must not be wearing boots. Ha.

If you want to talk about being degraded, look at the whopping expense we are paying on a daily basis from our degraded coffers to maintain our efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. And every bloody place else.

Look at the consequent degradation of our inner cities - and outer cities.
Look at the state of our transportation systems.

And look at the degradation of our quality of life - the institutionalization of the worst of Bush: our government spying on us - warrantless wiretaps - military action by executive fiat...