MoWali's Quotes

Here's the list of quotes submitted by MoWali — There are currently 42 quotes total — keep up the great work!

Life is too short to learn everything by experience,” Mattis told reporters after the event. “In these books we can find situations that are similar to what we confront today. ... We can study how women and men in the past have dealt with situations successfully or unsuccessfully.” – Defense Secretary Jim Mattis Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
With the U.S. embrace of great power competition, it’s ironic that the U.S. will be ceding the field in Afghanistan to the Chinese who will inevitably flow into the Afghan vacuum left by the U.S. departure. No one should have missed the explicit message sent by the Chinese in the recent warm and celebratory welcome of Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Beijing. That welcome appeared in stark contrast to the cold and confrontational reception of the American envoy, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman. – Marine Gen. John Allen Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
Finally, despite what some are saying, the war in Afghanistan was never just about killing Osama Bin Laden. The United States was intent on tracking down and eliminating him, but the war in Afghanistan was not about him. The whole purpose of our 20-year effort in Afghanistan was to prevent a resurgence of al-Qaeda and the likelihood of new attacks on the United States and our allies, and to prevent the Taliban from overthrowing the installed government in Kabul. When the U.S. found bin Laden hiding in Pakistan, he was dealt with, but that was not the end of the war. If Kabul falls, because of the U.S. evacuation, both objectives will have failed. – Marine Gen. John Allen Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
Over-the-horizon targeting implies that you have eyes on the target, you've got some form of boots on the ground or intelligence development capability that's on the ground, Allen said in a Middle East Institute discussion Sept. 16. We have none, we've basically given it up. – Marine Gen. John Allen Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
The U.S. military’s presence also allows the United States to maintain its influence in both eastern Syria and Iraq and deter Iran, said retired Army Gen. Joseph Votel, who led U.S. Central Command from March 2016 until March 2019. “Moreover, it keeps us engaged on the topic of ISIS, and other VEOs [violent extremist organizations], and especially detained fighters – whose disposition is still not finally determined,” Votel said. “Finally, I think our presence is about showing support for a partner that was very valuable to us.” – Joe Votel Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
We have got to get to the point of looking very, very hard at who is running for office, Kelly said. We need to look at their character, their record on integrity, morality ... then say, 'Now let's talk politics. – Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
President Donald Trump's former chief of staff John Kelly told a Des Moines audience Tuesday that his former boss can’t admit to making a mistake because “his manhood is at issue here.” “I don't understand it, although I had to deal with it every day, said Kelly, a retired four-star Marine general who served as Trump’s top aide from July 31, 2017, until his Jan. 2, 2019, resignation. – Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
On July 24, 2020, the U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passed (86 to 14 in favor) Senate Bill S.4049, their version of the annual National Defense Authorization Act, which includes a provision that all 10 Army bases named after prominent Confederate military leaders be renamed. On this issue, Mulroy said, American soldiers should serve on bases that are named after the heroes that have sacrificed and fought for our country, not against it and suggested that they should be renamed after Medal of Honor recipients instead. – Mick Mulroy Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
Trump, Kelly said, has poisoned people's minds with lies and fraud. I think the Cabinet should meet and discuss this because the behavior yesterday and the weeks and months before that have just been outrageous, he said. Kelly told Military.com that Americans must be mindful of who they're electing to positions of power. What we need to do going forward -- what we have to do as a people -- not as Democrats, or Republicans, or Independents, but as Americans, is to ask ourselves, 'How did we ever get to this place?' he said. We need to look infinitely harder at who we elect. – Marine Corps Gen. John Kelly Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
An American priority must be preventing the collapse of the Afghan government, lest the Taliban’s partners, including al Qaeda and other jihadist terrorists, re-establish a base to plan, prepare and direct attacks against the U.S., its allies and others who don’t conform to their perverted interpretation of Islam. Other objectives should include limiting the humanitarian disaster and ensuring that the gains the Afghan people—especially women and girls—made since 2001 aren’t lost. – Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
Some may cite the 2020 U.S.-Taliban agreement as a reason not to take this step. But the Taliban never honored the agreement, continuing to work closely with al Qaeda and intensifying murderous attacks on Afghan civilians. Why should the U.S. adhere to an agreement that the other party has abrogated? – Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
First of all, we were there to preserve our and protect our own interests, our security interests. We know for a fact, right, we know from historical experience that terrorist organizations, when they control territory and populations and resources, that they become orders of magnitude more dangerous, right? We saw that with the mass murder attacks of 9/11. We saw it again when Vice President Biden thanked President Obama for ending the war in Iraq. Well, hey, wars don't end when one party disengages. And, of course, in Iraq, we saw al-Qaida in Iraq morph into ISIS, the most destructive terrorist organization in history. And then, of course, we had to go back. What I found also that I — was fundamentally, I think, wrong about the president's approach here is that he thinks that a lost war in Afghanistan isn't going to have consequences. We're already seeing the horrible humanitarian consequences, but there will be severe political consequences, in connection with our credibility with our allies and partners and other countries who will wonder how reliable we are. But, of course, it will have big security implications in connection with jihadist terrorists who will declare victory over the world's only superpower. – Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
The president said that nobody recommended that he leave the 2,500 troops. And the generals basically said, yeah, actually, we did. That is what we recommended. So I think we saw both General McKenzie and General Austin Miller, among a whole host of other advisers, recommend to the Biden administration that they needed to maintain those 2,500 troops in Afghanistan. And General McKenzie flatly admitted under oath yesterday that that is what he said. And the president just lied about it repeatedly. – Ben Sasse Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
When we began to see that fall apart, that's when the order should have been given to basically enter a defensive posture and get everybody out we can and not have to wait to three days prior because a lot of us were watching this happen. We were talking about it and it's like it wasn't a surprise to many of us, he said. – Adam Kinzinger Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
I think there's a lot of people that bear blame and the secretary of state is one of these, and I think it would be nice — and keep in mind, even under the prior president I would say this exact thing — for some people to just take responsibility. That's what the American people want, is somebody to stand up and say, 'Look, this is on me,'Kinzinger said in an interview on Face the Nation, referencing Secretary of State Antony Blinken. – Adam Kinzinger Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
They ended up getting rolled almost as bad as Neville Chamberlain, he continued, referring to the British prime minister who negotiated the 1938 Munich Agreement, which was widely panned as enabling the Nazi invasion of Poland. They set this up to fail, Kinzinger said. – Adam Kinzinger Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
The State Department's 'maximum pressure' campaign has not pressured Iran toward diplomacy and a new agreement. It has pressured them toward an increase in malign activity in the region and toward the development of a nuclear weapon, said Mick Mulroy, Trump's former top Pentagon official for the Middle East and a retired CIA officer who's now an ABC News contributor. – Mick Mulroy Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
What is happening now is not a surprise. It was predicted. If anything, it is happening faster than predicted, said Mick Mulroy, the Pentagon's former top Middle East policy official and an ABC News analyst. We are not seeing the worst of it. The Taliban is not only taking territory, they are killing people with the weapons we provided to Afghan security forces, said Mulroy, a former CIA officer and Marine infantryman who served in Afghanistan. – Mick Mulroy Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), a Marine who served four tours in Iraq, said, “The time to debate whether we stay in Afghanistan has passed, but there is still time to debate how we manage our retreat.” – Seth Moulton Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
He told the Washington Post that “We’ve reduced our exposure and we’ve significantly reduced our casualties,” he said. “I just don’t think the investment of 3,000 troops is too much to keep what we’ve gained in 20 years.” – Mick Mulroy Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
I know, I am certain, President Trump did not intend on attacking the Chinese and it is my directed responsibility to convey presidential orders and intent, Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee. – Mark Milley Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
The war is lost,” Milley said. “The enemy is in control in Kabul.” – Mark Milley Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
I think we're, you know, we're still seeing how al Qaeda and ISIS are configuring themselves against the Taliban, we're still seeing what the Taliban is going to do, McKenzie said. I would not say I'm confident that that's going to be on the ground yet, we could get to that point, but I do not yet have that level of confidence. – Frank McKenzie Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
The war on terror is not over, and the war in Afghanistan is not over either, McKenzie said. – Frank McKenzie Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
Those kids there at Abbey Gate, they don’t get a choice to resign,” Milley said, referring to the 13 American service members who died during the evacuation from Kabul in late August when an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest. “They can't resign so I'm not going to resign. There's no way.” MOST READ House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro fields questions about the politics of the federal debt in front of the House Rules Committee. Democrats back off debt fight to stop shutdown Top generals contradict Biden, say they urged him not to withdraw from Afghanistan Biden opposes changing Senate rules to raise debt limit ‘As adults, we failed’: New Jersey’s school bus driver shortage grows ‘dire’ Progressives dig in as Pelosi tries to save key vote – Mark Milley Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
The U.S. Military is far better off because of the contributions of women, said Mick Mulroy, a retired Marine and former deputy assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East and an ABC News contributor. They have been awarded for their valor on the battlefield and many have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country. We should take this time to ensure every American is aware of this history and not listening to those who are either unaware of this history or deliberately misrepresenting it, he said. – Mick Mulroy Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
Military training, throughout history, has required discipline. Socrates believed that self-control could become the very foundation of moral wisdom if only we could learn how to apply it to overcoming violent passions, such as anger and hatred. Stoicism appeals to military men and women precisely because it was inspired by ancient military values. It’s especially relevant today because of its potential to reach many individuals who do not otherwise seek therapy or read self-help literature. It also holds out the promise of a more lasting, perhaps even lifelong, personal transformation. – Mick Mulroy Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
My analysis was that an accelerated withdrawal, without meeting specific and necessary conditions, risks losing the substantial gains made in Afghanistan [and] damaging U.S. worldwide credibility,” McKenzie said. – Frank McKenzie Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
[My father] didn’t get a choice to resign,” Milley said. “Those kids there at Abbey Gate, they don’t get a choice to resign,” Milley said, referring to the 13 American service members who died during the evacuation from Kabul in late August when an ISIS-K suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest. “They can't resign so I'm not going to resign. There's no way.” – Staff Chairman Mark Milley Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
I won't share my personal recommendation to the president, but I will give you my honest opinion and my honest opinion and view shaped my recommendation, McKenzie testified. And I recommended that we maintain 2,500 troops in Afghanistan. – Staff Chairman Mark Milley Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
I mean, from my perspective, once the decision to withdraw our forces was taken, I think what was required was a more deliberate plan, militarily and diplomatically, built around specific conditions that had to be worked with the Afghan government. And I think that extends to the military forces and making sure that they were up to the challenge that this withdrawal of U.S. and other coalition forces would present. – Joe Votel Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
According to Milley, the calls were arranged due to “concerning intelligence” that the Chinese were concerned about a potential US attack on them. “I know, I am certain that President Trump did not intend to attack the Chinese,” Milley said. “My task at that time was to de-escalate.” – Staff Chairman Mark Milley Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
The incoming national security team deserves to have the full support of a transition to ensure the seamless transfer of power without incurring any unnecessary risk to our nation's security, said Mulroy, who is currently an ABC News contributor. I am supporting the incoming transition team because it is the right thing to do. – Mick Mulroy Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
I think the vast majority of U.S. military officers and soldiers served honorably and nobly, answered the nation's call in a time of need. And I think we should take pride in that. And I think they attempted to do that. That this did not turn out the way that we all hoped it would be, I think doesn't diminish that. But certainly, the - you know, there will be a level of accountability that we'll have to accept with this. – Joe Votel Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
Yeah, thank you. Thank you very much. Well, I think, like everybody, I'm surprised that this has transpired so quickly. But I think what we are all seeing at this point is kind of a lack of confidence in, you know, in the Afghan forces themselves and their leadership, their government and apparently in their partners here. And I think this drove the Afghan security forces to an approach of self-preservation. And so they were acting more individually than they were acting collectively at this particular point. And, of course, it collapsed quite quickly. – Joe Votel Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
Former deputy assistant secretary of defense and ABC News analyst Mick Mulroy is part of both Task Force Pineapple and Task Force Dunkirk, who are assisting former Afghan comrades. They never wavered. I and many of my friends are here today because of their bravery in battle. We owe them all effort to get them out and honor our word, Mulroy said. – Mick Mulroy Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
I think our arms sales with Israel and everyone else will go through. We're kind of back to normal order in this administration. They go through reviews and go to Congress. I think we very much continue to support our military cooperation with Israel. But I will say this, and I think the president was very clear in the number of conversations with Prime Minister Netanyahu, we have to find an end point to this conflict. And that's what we did. I would just add one more very important point, given the comments on the Palestinian side, we inherited a situation here in which all contact with the Palestinians had been severed. All U.S. aid had been cut, stopped - security assistance, humanitarian assistance, our consulate closed, shuttered. We have been working from Day 1 to reestablish those connections, to reestablish our diplomatic networks. – Brett McGurk Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
Iraq, which for years has been a headline for war and conflicts, is hosting leaders and representatives of the region today to affirm their support for Iraqi sovereignty and prosperity,” Iraq’s President Barham Salih said. – Barham Salih Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
Look, obviously a lot of years to reflect on. Definitely, from my perspective from Iraq, from Baghdad, and I would daresay that reflecting the view of the majority of Iraqis, the decision to take on Saddam Hussein and remove him from power was the right decision; it was the moral decision. The world is a better place without Saddam Hussein. He was a war criminal. He was engaged in crimes against humanity, genocide, you name it. But no doubt: a lot of problems in the transition. – Barham Salih Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
The administration is absolutely, and without a doubt, committed to the Abraham Accords. – Brett McGurk Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
The war against terrorism will not end with the signing of surrender aboard the USS Missouri. It may not even end. But the only thing necessary for terrorism to thrive is for the good countries to do nothing about it. That is not what I think America is about. We should lead the free world if we claim to be the leader of the free world. We should keep a group of dedicated professionals to fight this war in perpetuity if need be. – Mick Mulroy Famous Quote	added 2 years ago
As well, we began to recognize the importance of partnerships, how we worked with different people—not only with our international partners but really within our own government—these campaigns really forced people to begin to work together. There were dichotomies between the Department of Defense’s CT approach and the intelligence community’s CT approach. And so those had to be reconciled over time, and these were issues that we grappled with for years. And, of course, all of this ultimately resulted in much better-defined CT strike policies, processes, and approaches that I think were largely very, very successful for us. – Joe Votel Famous Quote	added 2 years ago

MoWali's Quotes

Here's the list of quotes submitted by MoWali — There are currently 42 quotes total — keep up the great work!

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