Right at the tail end of the president’s vacation to Hawaii, and with little fanfare, the White House released a statement that combat operations in Afghanistan are officially over. Or, in the words of the president’s speechwriters, “the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion.”

"Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, our combat mission in Afghanistan is ending" pic.twitter.com/0nNdyMZzDJ

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) December 28, 2014

There was a ceremony in Afghanistan, where General John Campbell symbolically proclaimed the end of combat operations and Operation Enduring Freedom, and then announced the new mission title for the forces that will be remaining in Afghanistan, Operation Resolute Support.

“Resolute Support will serve as the bedrock of an enduring partnership” between NATO and Afghanistan, Campbell told an audience of Afghan and international military officers and officials, as well as diplomats and journalists.

He paid tribute to the international and Afghan troops who have died fighting the insurgency, saying: “The road before us remains challenging but we will triumph.”

From Jan. 1, the new mission will provide training and support for Afghanistan’s military, with the U.S. accounting for almost 11,000 members of the residual force.

So, it’s an end to the official combat, but not an end to the fighting, of course. In November, President Obama quietly increased the role and the number of troops that will be serving in Resolute Support, which was a direct consequence of just how spectacularly Iraq has fallen apart since the U.S. troops left the country.