President Obama held his last meeting with his military chiefs Wednesday, pledging their cooperation with President-elect Donald Trump for a “seamless” handoff as the U.S. continues counterterrorism operations against the Islamic State and other enemies.

“We still have a lot of active threats around the world and we still have many American men and women in harm’s way,” Mr. Obama told reporters in the Oval Office.

He mentioned the battle for Mosul in Iraq, where about 5,000 U.S. personnel are serving as military trainers and advisers in the fight against the extremist group, as well as U.S.-led counterterrorism operations in Syria and the continued American deployment in Afghanistan.

Among those meeting with Mr. Obama were Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, and Vice Chair Gen. Paul Selva.

Mr. Trump has nominated retired Marine Gen. James Mattis to become Secretary of Defense. The president said Mr. Trump will benefit from the “advice and service” of his current military brass.

“This will be my last meeting with them, so part of my goal here is just to say thank you,” Mr. Obama said. He also praised the military not only for its ability to fight, but for the generals’ respect for “the rule of law, professionalism and integrity.”

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