"“What struck me in meeting with these elders was the evolution of this corruption. So it wasn't something that was always there. It's been over the last decade or so that they spoke to it. These same elders said to me that they were embarrassed that the United States soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines were dying for them. They want to lead this effort. They appreciate what we've done, but they really want to lead this effort. And this is something I know that the President - President [Hamid] Karzai - is trying to engender in his leadership with his people.”"
(January 10, 2010, CNN GPS Interview w/ Fareed Zakaria, The Pentagon, Washington, D.C.)
"The president’s decision to add the 30,000 troops to increase and accelerate the civilian surge into Afghanistan, to focus on the development, to focus on governance from the districts up through national level, to really focus on corruption as well, and I believe we’ve got the right leadership there. And so now certainly our main goal in Afghanistan and Pakistan over the next couple of years is to execute that strategy. "
(January 07, 2010, Washington Institute for Near East Policy)
"Our mission here is to defeat al-Qaida and prevent Afghanistan from succumbing to the Taliban rule again. To do that, we must protect the Afghan people. We must put their lasting security first. They must know and they must feel safe – safe enough to stand against the intimidation and brutality of the Taliban. They must know and they must feel confident enough in our commitment to them and to their future to work with us. As with our international partners, we help them develop the foundations of good governance, effective public administration and a basis for economic progress. "
(December 14, 2009, Kabul Press Conference, Government and Media Information Center, Kabul, Afghanistan)
"I’d say [Afghanistan] is the epicenter of terrorism right now. It’s very clear that in fact al-Qaida is diminished while it’s living in Pakistan, and this is a Pakistan-Afghanistan issue. They are by no means dead. It’s a very serious threat. And that if we allow the Taliban to take control and run Afghanistan again, I think the likelihood that they would return to that safe haven would be high. And I’m very concerned about the deteriorating not just in Afghanistan, but also in Pakistan."
(September 15, 2009, Senate Armed Services Committee Reconfirmation Hearing, Washington, D.C. )
"I’m very focused on the next couple of years and we’ve seen the violence – we’ve seen the Taliban get much better, we’ve seen the violence level go up, we’ve seen the security for the Afghan people deteriorate over the last three years. And when I talk about the next 12 to 18 months and turning back, starting to create security for them and focusing on them as a center of gravity, we really have – I believe we have to start to turn that tide over the next 12 to 18 months. "
(July 17, 2009, All Hands Call, Camp Leatherneck, Helmand Province, Afghanistan)
"Also coming off from General Nicholson is the idea that this is a different mission, different than Iraq - counter-insurgency. It's more about winning the trust of the population than it is about killing mainly the Taliban in that area. I know that's an important message to get to the people who live in Helmand where the operation is going on. But if you're the people in Helmand, you see they're sending 4,000 US marines, the fiercest of the US armed service, and as I've read in the paper, two US state department diplomats or officials. I wonder if it looks like someone there to help in their perspective."
(July 23, 2009, Al Jazeera "Fault Lines")
"This is about winning hearts and minds, not losing hearts and minds. And when you kill innocent civilians you lose them in droves and we can’t keep doing that."
(June 29, 2009, Interview w/ Fox News)
"Right now, the Taliban believe they’re winning. Eighteen months from now, if we’ve executed our strategy, we’ll know that they won’t – and they’ll know that they can’t.
"
(February 02, 2010, Senate Armed Services Committee, Washington D.C.)
"Let me assure you that America’s military remains committed to our mission in Afghanistan. And that mission does not end in July of 2011. "
(July 23, 2010, New Delhi Press Avail, New Delhi, India )
"No one is looking for the door out of Afghanistan or out of this region. Quite the contrary. Though the military presence will one day diminish, the friendship, the strategic partnership will endure.
"
(July 24, 2010, Pakistan Press Avail, Pakistan )
"This is not America’s war. It’s a regional war. In some ways, a global war. All of us share the burden, as we should, and all of us share the risks, as we are. "
(July 24, 2010, Pakistan Press Avail, Pakistan )