--- title: Sen. Joni Ernst: The U.S. Can't Ignore ISIS in Asia description: While the U.S. moves forward in addressing many threats in Asia apart from terrorism, we cannot turn a blind eye to the threat of ISIS. canonical: https://time.com/4463093/sen-joni-ernst-isis-in-asia/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-08-23T18:58:30.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T00:09:07.250Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Sen. Joni Ernst: The U.S. Can't Ignore ISIS in Asia og:description: Addressing terrorism in the region can help ensure security at home og:url: https://time.com/4463093/sen-joni-ernst-isis-in-asia/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt81eee6c52da645c4/6988a35e524fc05104df9408/joni-ernst.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, speaks during a Bloomberg Politics interview in Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 1, 2016. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Sen. Joni Ernst: The U.S. Can't Ignore ISIS in Asia twitter:description: Addressing terrorism in the region can help ensure security at home twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt81eee6c52da645c4/6988a35e524fc05104df9408/joni-ernst.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Sen. Joni Ernst: The U.S. Can't Ignore ISIS in Asia > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME Inside TIME: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition Inside TIME is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. A closer look at TIME's latest cover and our most compelling stories. Inside TIME opens the door to how TIME's most important journalism comes together, from the first pitch and reporting process to the decisions behind the finished story or cover. Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs takes readers inside the newsroom, revealing the journalists, ideas and editorial choices behind the stories shaping the global conversation. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=157573ae-5a99-459a-acf2-fc1600a05914&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Wednesday and Saturday (2x per week) | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Sam Jacobs, Editor-in-Chief | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership Globally minded knowledge seekers. Readers who turn to journalism to understand the world, with meaningful concentrations among educators, students, media professionals, civic institutions and knowledge workers. ### TIME Inside TIME: key statements * Inside TIME is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * Inside TIME is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=157573ae-5a99-459a-acf2-fc1600a05914&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/subscribe?i=157573ae-5a99-459a-acf2-fc1600a05914&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is Inside TIME? Inside TIME is a twice-weekly newsletter written by TIME Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs. It explains how TIME's journalism is made, from the first pitch through the editorial decisions behind a finished story or cover. #### How can I read about how TIME chooses its covers? Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. by [Sen. Joni Ernst](https://time.com/author/sen-joni-ernst/) ## Sen. Joni Ernst Aug 23, 2016 6:58 PM UTC  Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, speaks during a Bloomberg Politics interview in Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 1, 2016. Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, speaks during a Bloomberg Politics interview in Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 1, 2016. Bloomberg via Getty Images by [Sen. Joni Ernst](https://time.com/author/sen-joni-ernst/) ## Sen. Joni Ernst Aug 23, 2016 6:58 PM UTC As an Iraq war veteran, I have long focused my work on national security in the United States Senate on the horrific rise of ISIS. From Syria to Afghanistan to San Bernardino, Calif., I have pushed for better policies in our fight against an enemy that is spreading at an alarming rate. Over the past year and a half, I have fought for providing more lethal aid to the Kurdish Peshmerga in Iraq, ensuring we have adequate support on the ground in Afghanistan, and I continue to support a new authorization for the use of military force against ISIS—one that does not tie the hands of our military commanders. As we continue to watch the global expansion of terrorism, we cannot allow for weaknesses in our strategy. I view the failure to address ISIS’s expansion into Asia as one of those weaknesses. The January 2016 [attack](http://time.com/4184110/jakarta-attack-death-toll-suspects-isis/) in Jakarta, Indonesia, was sadly only a small example of what ISIS is capable of in the region. Islamic extremist groups in Asia, like [Abu Sayyaf](http://time.com/4371053/philippines-abu-sayyaf-hostages-kjartan-sekkingstad-isis-maritess-flor/), have carried out worse attacks in the past. Often viewed as disorganized and fighting against each other, these groups have now started to band together beneath the flag of ISIS. Unfortunately, much like the Middle East, the groups now fighting for ISIS are not new faces to U.S. troops on the battlefield in Asia. Shortly after the horrific attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, U.S. special operations forces were already quietly operating in Asia, a place [Khalid Shaikh Mohammed](http://projects.nytimes.com/guantanamo/detainees/10024-khalid-shaikh-mohammed) was found to have used as a planning ground for the attack against the U.S., and a region riddled with al-Qaeda-linked terrorist groups. Deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, U.S. troops excelled at advise-and-assist missions in the Philippines. Efforts to establish an Indonesian counterterrorism unit were hailed as a success. With an annual budget of less than the cost of one new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, there was reason to believe our efforts were making a positive impact in a region plagued by decades of Islamic extremism. The decision in 2014 to officially end [operations](http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research%5Freports/RR1200/RR1236/RAND%5FRR1236.pdf) in the Southern Philippines left a void that ISIS has started to fill. The U.S. officially ending its Joint Special Operation Task Force led to, on a smaller scale, something much like we witnessed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Just as al-Qaeda in Iraq became ISIS, we are now seeing Abu Sayyaf follow suit in Asia. While it is easy to dismiss these groups as mere criminal gangs and disorganized rebels, the Philippines lost [44 of its Special Action Force](http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/30/world/philippines-day-mourning-milf/) in a single battle against them last year. And in June of this year, they released a call for other fighters to join them. The [video](http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/06/22/1595580/isis-releases-first-propaganda-video-philippines), proudly displaying the black flag of ISIS, states: “if you can’t get to Syria, join the mujahedeen in the Philippines.” Despite efforts to curb the rise of ISIS from the Filipino government through negotiations, peace agreements and military action, the violence only continues. In April of this year, the Filipino Army lost 18 soldiers in an [attack](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/ac3327157c2e43ce8768fd65fd52cc3c/philippine-military-officials-say-least-18-soldiers-killed) quickly claimed by ISIS. Most alarmingly, the terrorists are following the same tactics with civilian executions. Tragically, this was most recently witnessed with the [beheading](http://www.cnn.com/2016/06/13/asia/philippines-canada-abu-sayyaf/) of a Canadian citizen in June. Last month, Bangladesh unfortunately joined the list of Asian countries that have fallen victim to ISIS infiltration. Terrorist attacks, like the [20 innocent civilians](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/01/gunmen-attack-restaurant-in-diplomatic-quarter-of-bangladeshi-ca/) killed in Dhaka, Bangladesh, cannot become a common trend in a region already plagued by natural disasters, a nuclear North Korea and a rising China. While the U.S. moves forward in addressing many threats in Asia apart from terrorism, we cannot turn a blind eye to the threat of ISIS. I applaud the [deployment](http://www.defensenews.com/story/defense/2016/07/07/thaad-officially-deploy-south-korea/86837806/) of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense—an anti-ballistic missile system—to South Korea, our increased freedom of navigation patrols in the South China Sea, and the announcement of [five new U.S. bases](http://www.militarytimes.com/story/military/2016/03/21/us-plans-use-five-new-bases-philippines/82072138/) in the northern Philippines. However, none of these directly take aim at addressing ISIS. Addressing terrorism in the region will contribute to our larger policy objectives of showing strength in the region and pivoting to the Pacific. The U.S. operations from 2001 to 2014 were not done in a vacuum; they helped build partnerships and were carried out through supporting our allies in the region. These are tactics we strongly need to reevaluate for future operations. With Japan joining the global coalition to counter ISIS, and the Philippines continuing to fight terrorism in its own backyard, it is clear we have allies to work with. It is time we do so. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4463093/sen-joni-ernst-isis-in-asia/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4463093/sen-joni-ernst-isis-in-asia/"},"headline":"Sen. Joni Ernst: The U.S. Can't Ignore ISIS in Asia","datePublished":"2016-08-23T18:58:30.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:09:07.250Z","description":"Addressing terrorism in the region can help ensure security at home","url":"https://time.com/4463093/sen-joni-ernst-isis-in-asia/","keywords":["National Security"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt81eee6c52da645c4/6988a35e524fc05104df9408/joni-ernst.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Sen. Joni Ernst","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/sen-joni-ernst/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt81eee6c52da645c4/6988a35e524fc05104df9408/joni-ernst.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, speaks during a Bloomberg Politics interview in Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 1, 2016.","caption":"Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Iowa, speaks during a Bloomberg Politics interview in Des Moines, Iowa, on Feb. 1, 2016.","creditText":"Bloomberg via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/national-security/","name":"National Security"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4463093/sen-joni-ernst-isis-in-asia/","name":"Sen. Joni Ernst: The U.S. Can't Ignore ISIS in Asia"}}]}] ```