Weeks into its air campaign against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, the Pentagon has finally announced a name for the operation: "Inherent Resolve."

That's the word from a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Col. Ed Thomas, who says his office was ultimately responsible for the naming decision.

Military operations are routinely given official names, in part for administrative reasons. They usually are intended to convey a message. The U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, for example, is named "Operation Enduring Freedom."

The U.S. has more than 1,400 military personnel in Iraq as part of the campaign against the Islamic State group, but none in Syria.