Operation New Dawn (OND)
Operation New Dawn (OND) was the follow-on phase of the war to the previous Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). The end of OIF signified the end of combat operations by U.S. forces and the beginning of a train, advise and assist phase. OND ended in December 2011 after the Iraqi Parliament failed to agree to a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) that would have allowed the U.S. military to continue operations in Iraq.
Some critics say that President did not want to see the SOFA approved by the Iraqi Parliament. It was speculated that he wanted to put the Iraq War in the rear-view mirror and concentrate on the "good war" in Afghanistan and his domestic agenda. 1.
1. See "Panetta: '30-year war' and a leadership test of Obama", USA Today, October 6, 2014. www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2014/10/06/leon-panetta-memoir-worthy-fights/16737615/