( CNN ) -- The U.S. has a `` winning strategy '' to defeat ISIS , the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff told CNN 's Kyra Phillips in an exclusive interview on Wednesday . He added that he `` ca n't foresee '' sending `` large ground combat forces into Iraq . '' Gen. Martin Dempsey also touched on his concerns about the spread of the Ebola virus and what 's more to come in the coalition battle against murderous Islamic extremists . ISIS has inched closer to the Iraqi capital Baghdad this week and continued fighting in strategically important Anbar Province . Is it possible that ISIS could gain control of Baghdad ? `` I do n't see that happening , '' he said . `` I 'm confident we can assist the Iraqis to keep Baghdad from falling . '' However , Iraqi forces , some of whom abandoned their posts when ISIS began its assault on Iraq , need more training , Dempsey said . Still , they have `` established a fairly formidable defensive perimeter around Baghdad '' that Dempsey characterized as `` a very thick and deep defense . '' Dempsey repeated what he said before Congress weeks ago , stressing that does n't see a need to put troops on the ground in the fight against ISIS . He was firm on the controversial notion that American troops could once again head back into Iraq to fight after being involved in a conflict that stretched from 2003 to 2011 . And yet he also told CNN that `` war is discovery '' and that if the situation evolves to the point where ground troops are necessary , he will evaluate that and make recommendations to President Barack Obama . There are 12 teams of military advisers in Iraq now , he said . Dempsey said the U.S. got a `` significant commitment '' from other members of the international coalition to add advisory teams . Dempsey said the plan is to set up three bases where the U.S. and others can train Iraqi security forces who are battling ISIS on the ground , along with Kurdish fighting forces . He then reiterated that `` war is discovery , '' stressed that ISIS is a `` national security threat '' and said that airstrikes alone will not beat ISIS though they have forced the group to change `` the way it 's moving . '' Fighting ISIS is going to take `` patience , '' Dempsey said , so it 's critical that the U.S. and the coalition show progress soon . For now , `` we 're on the right path . '' Dempsey also revealed that the international coalition 's operation against ISIS has a name : `` Inherent Resolve . '' The name , to him , means that `` we need to be able to be credible and sustainable over time in order to accomplish the mission that we 've been given . '' 'We gave Iraq a chance ' The chairman put much of the blame for the growth of ISIS on the Iraqi government . Despite airstrikes and international outrage , the terror group is overrunning Iraqi forces and making significant strides in Syria . `` We gave Iraq a chance -- an opportunity , '' Dempsey said , talking about the war . `` They failed to take that opportunity . '' `` The coaching , and teaching , and mentoring , the thousands of interactions at the local level were all wasted by the government of Iraq that chose deliberately to follow a sectarian agenda and alienate entire segments of the population , which created an environment in which ISIL could return and could flourish , '' he said , using an alternative acronym for ISIS . When asked who in the U.S. government underestimated ISIS , Dempsey said : `` I think what we all probably missed was the degree to which the Iraqi armed forces had eroded and would n't stand and face ISIL . I think we all missed that . '' Dempsey alarmed about Ebola months ago . The chairman said he has been concerned about Ebola as a global threat for at least 90 days . `` I 'm worried about it because we know so little about ( Ebola ) , '' he said , adding that his worry is stoked by seemingly conflicting information about how the virus can be spread . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that the deadly virus , which originated in Africa , can be passed only through direct contact with bodily fluids when a person suffering from it exhibits symptoms . `` If you bring two doctors who happen to have that specialty into a room , one will say , 'No there is no way it will ever become airborne , but it could mutate so it could be harder to discover , ' `` and another might say something completely different , Dempsey said . He said he is alarmed by the World Health Organization 's warning that Ebola cases could increase and the virus could mutate . `` Then it will be an extraordinarily serious problem , '' he said . `` I do n't know who is right . I do n't want to take that chance , so I am taking it very seriously . ''
NEW : Chairman of Joint Chiefs faults the Iraqi government . On possibly putting sending in ground troops , Dempsey said no but added `` war is discovery '' Dempsey : `` I 'm worried about it because we know so little '' about Ebola . We don't have a lot of information on how this virus spreads and what's happening to people who are infected with it.