House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) Statement on New U.S. Military Leadership in Afghanistan

Uploaded on December 3, 2009 by House GOP Leader © All rights reserved.

"Every one of you carries a marshal's baton in his knapsack; It is up to you to bring it out". - Napoleon Washington (Jun 23) House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement on the leadership changes for the U.S. military in Afghanistan announced today:

“Our fight in Afghanistan is critical to the security of the American people, and nothing should distract us from our goal of defeating al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and Islamic terrorists and denying them safe haven in the region. Afghanistan is a tough operating environment, and our military, intelligence, and civilian personnel are doing a tremendous job. We need to focus our efforts on supporting their efforts and providing them with all the resources they need, and that means Congress should pass its troop funding bill without any further delay. House Republicans stand ready to work with the President to ensure our troops have all the resources and support from Congress they need to complete their mission successfully.

“I have great respect for General McChrystal and the job he’s done in Afghanistan and elsewhere in service of our country, but I respect the decision of our Commander-in-Chief. I thank General McChrystal for the sacrifices and enormous contributions he has made on behalf of our country. General Petraeus has also dedicated his career to this country and he deserves great credit for his leadership in helping to stabilize Iraq and bring it to a critical transition point this summer. I believe he is the right person take over this command.”

TEXT CREDIT: House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) H-204 The Capitol Washington, DC 20515 P (202) 225-4000 F (202) 225-5117

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates Issues Statement on McChrystal Profile VIDEO

Gates on McChrystal 22 June 2010. Defense Secretary Robert Gates issued a statement June 22 regarding GEN Stanley McChrystal's comments in a Rolling Stone magazine story.

WASHINGTON, June 22, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates issued a statement today regarding a profile article on Army Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, commander of the International Security Assistance Force and U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Here is the secretary’s statement:

"I read with concern the profile piece on Gen. Stanley McChrystal in the upcoming edition of ‘Rolling Stone’ magazine. I believe that Gen. McChrystal made a significant mistake and exercised poor judgment in this case. We are fighting a war against al Qaeda and its extremist allies, who directly threaten the United States, Afghanistan, and our friends and allies around the world. Going forward, we must pursue this mission with a unity of purpose. Our troops and coalition partners are making extraordinary sacrifices on behalf of our security, and our singular focus must be on supporting them and succeeding in Afghanistan without such distractions. Gen. McChrystal has apologized to me and is similarly reaching out to others named in this article to apologize to them as well. I have recalled Gen. McChrystal to Washington to discuss this in person."

From a Defense Department News Release.