I think the central mission in Afghanistan right now is to protect the people, certainly, and that would be inclusive of everybody, and that in a, in an insurgency and a counterinsurgency, that’s really the center of gravity. Michael Mullen Read Quote
I think that is a noble goal that all of us should seek, to end wars and prevent wars as much as possible. Michael Mullen Read Quote
I’m not a policy and a strategy guy. I’m – you know, the military basically supports what the president wants, the decisions that he makes. Michael Mullen Read Quote
Some 70% to 80% of all who join the military will return to the civilian workforce. They’ll return to communities, and one of the things I’ve worried about is the increasing disconnect between the American people and our men and women in uniform. We come from fewer and fewer places. We’re less than 1% of the population. Michael Mullen Read Quote
The mission – the overall mission is to dismantle and defeat and disrupt al-Qaeda. But we have to make sure there’s not a safe haven that returns in Afghanistan. Michael Mullen Read Quote
I think anybody in our – in the, in the national security apparatus has, has got to take full cognizance of their responsibility for the safeguarding of classified information. Michael Mullen Read Quote
Basically, we’ve grown up very focused on the institution. The institution tells me what to do. It tells me where to go. It tells me what my career path is, and then I, sort of, attach my own personal desires, my own personal interests. I think we’re living in a time where we’re going to have to change – to put people in the center. Michael Mullen Read Quote
I’ve said for a long time, clearly the – a, a critical key to success in the region is going to be Pakistan and our relationship with Pakistan, which was one that was broken in the late ’80s and which we’ve worked hard to restore. Michael Mullen Read Quote
It is my position that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens. Michael Mullen Read Quote
