Military.com reports that “Defense Secretary Ashton Carter told troops Wednesday the U.S. military will be heavily engaged in the Mideast long after the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria is defeated.”

“From Baghdad, Army Staff Sgt. Rory Radtke, a combat engineer with the 101st Airborne Division, asked whether U.S. troops would stay in the region indefinitely, much as they have in South Korea.”

“Carter did not respond directly to the comparison to South Korea, where the U.S. has maintained a presence for more than 60 years, but said of the Mideast, ‘We’re going to be in that region for a long time. You bet we’ll be in your region.'”