Although GE currently makes engines for several U.S. fighters, the future of the high-performance military engine business is the F-35 joint strike fighter, which will replace most of the tactical aircraft in the joint fleet over the next 30 years.

FORBES: Battle Over GE Engine Subsidy Reaches Climax

And Iraqis of all backgrounds increasingly realize that defeating these militia fighters is critical to the future of their country.

NPR: Text of Bush's State of the Union Address

The foreign secretary acknowledged that the conflict is "precipitating a growth of extremism in Syria which poses current and future risks to UK national security", and more foreign fighters were now operating in Syria than in "all other arenas of jihad combined".

BBC: UK Politics