Though the ground war rests on enlisting Syrians, Iraqis and other nearby Arab nations to fight the Islamic State, the U.S. has determined, 10 weeks after the first airstrikes, that the battle will rage on for at least two years.

The Associated Press reported the Pentagon has said that the effects of the airstrikes cannot be immediately seen, but the continued barrage will reap rewards a year from now.

The focus of the airstrikes isn't the militants themselves as much as those resources that enable IS to sustain itself and resupply its fighters, AP reported.

From the Florida headquarters of the U.S. Central Command, Army Gen. Lloyd Austin told reporters that there should be no expectations of an end quickly, but there has been progress in weakening IS resources by the coalition destruction of two oil refineries.

The coalition, which is engaged in a united front against IS, includes at least 40 countries, some of which are Arab and neighboring nations to the embattled Iraq and Syria.

"The campaign to destroy ISIL will take time, and there will be occasional setbacks along the way, particularly in these early stages of the campaign as we coach and mentor a force (in Iraq) that is actively working to regenerate capability after years of neglect and poor leadership," Austin told AP.

The realization has spurred the military to create a more organized structure, or joint task force, in order to prepare for the long haul.

A total of 1,400 ammunitions have been dropped on the area, according to figures Thursday, which include the multiple dropped at a time from the nearly 300 U.S. airstrikes in Iraq, 200 U.S. airstrikes in Syria, and fewer than 100 allied airstrikes in the region.

Sen. Angus King, I-Maine, told AP, "At some point in the next several months, they are not going to have tanks, they are not going have (U.S.-made mine-resistant vehicles), they are not going have the stuff that they stole from the Iraqis. They are going to have AK-47s."