“Donald Trump’s plan in Afghanistan: Transcript from his speech,” by Kelcie Willis,
On Monday, President Donald Trump gave a speech in which he discussed U.S. policy in Afghanistan
The remarks indicate that the 16-year war, the longest conflict in
American history, may continue for some time, as Trump declined to give a
specific timeline of when troops will pull out and would not discuss
troop numbers.
Read a full transcript of Trump’s remarks, from Fort Meyer in Arlington, Virginia, from The White House, below:
“Thank you very much. Thank you. Please be seated.
“Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Tillerson, members of the
Cabinet, General Dunford, Deputy Secretary Shanahan, and Colonel Duggan.
Most especially, thank you to the men and women of Fort Myer and every
member of the United States military at home and abroad.
“We send our thoughts and prayers to the families of our brave
sailors who were injured and lost after a tragic collision at sea, as
well as to those conducting the search and recovery efforts.
“I am here tonight to lay out our path forward in Afghanistan and
South Asia. But before I provide the details of our new strategy, I want
to say a few words to the servicemembers here with us tonight, to those
watching from their posts, and to all Americans listening at home.
“Since the founding of our republic, our country has produced a
special class of heroes whose selflessness, courage, and resolve is
unmatched in human history.
“American patriots from every generation have given their last breath
on the battlefield for our nation and for our freedom. Through their
lives — and though their lives were cut short, in their deeds they
achieved total immortality.
“By following the heroic example of those who fought to preserve our
republic, we can find the inspiration our country needs to unify, to
heal, and to remain one nation under God. The men and women of our
military operate as one team, with one shared mission, and one shared
sense of purpose.
“They transcend every line of race, ethnicity, creed, and color to
serve together — and sacrifice together — in absolutely perfect
cohesion. That is because all servicemembers are brothers and sisters.
They’re all part of the same family; it’s called the American family.
They take the same oath, fight for the same flag, and live according to
the same law. They are bound together by common purpose, mutual trust,
and selfless devotion to our nation and to each other.
“The soldier understands what we, as a nation, too often forget that a
wound inflicted upon a single member of our community is a wound
inflicted upon us all. When one part of America hurts, we all hurt. And
when one citizen suffers an injustice, we all suffer together.
“Loyalty to our nation demands loyalty to one another. Love for
America requires love for all of its people. When we open our hearts to
patriotism, there is no room for prejudice, no place for bigotry, and no
tolerance for hate.
“The young men and women we send to fight our wars abroad deserve to
return to a country that is not at war with itself at home. We cannot
remain a force for peace in the world if we are not at peace with each
other.
“As we send our bravest to defeat our enemies overseas — and we will
always win — let us find the courage to heal our divisions within. Let
us make a simple promise to the men and women we ask to fight in our
name that, when they return home from battle, they will find a country
that has renewed the sacred bonds of love and loyalty that unite us
together as one.
“Thanks to the vigilance and skill of the American military and of
our many allies throughout the world, horrors on the scale of September
11th — and nobody can ever forget that — have not been repeated on our
shores.
“But we must also acknowledge the reality I am here to talk about
tonight: that nearly 16 years after September 11th attacks, after the
extraordinary sacrifice of blood and treasure, the American people are
weary of war without victory. Nowhere is this more evident than with the
war in Afghanistan, the longest war in American history — 17 years.
“I share the American people’s frustration. I also share their
frustration over a foreign policy that has spent too much time, energy,
money, and most importantly lives, trying to rebuild countries in our
own image, instead of pursuing our security interests above all other
considerations.
“That is why, shortly after my inauguration, I directed Secretary of
Defense Mattis and my national security team to undertake a
comprehensive review of all strategic options in Afghanistan and South
Asia.
“My original instinct was to pull out — and, historically, I like
following my instincts. But all my life I’ve heard that decisions are
much different when you sit behind the desk in the Oval Office; in other
words, when you’re President of the United States. So I studied
Afghanistan in great detail and from every conceivable angle. After many
meetings, over many months, we held our final meeting last Friday at
Camp David, with my Cabinet and generals, to complete our strategy. I
arrived at three fundamental conclusions about America’s core interests
in Afghanistan.
“First, our nation must seek an honorable and enduring outcome worthy
of the tremendous sacrifices that have been made, especially the
sacrifices of lives. The men and women who serve our nation in combat
deserve a plan for victory. They deserve the tools they need, and the
trust they have earned, to fight and to win.
“Second, the consequences of a rapid exit are both predictable and
unacceptable. 9/11, the worst terrorist attack in our history, was
planned and directed from Afghanistan because that country was ruled by a
government that gave comfort and shelter to terrorists. A hasty
withdrawal would create a vacuum that terrorists, including ISIS and al
Qaeda, would instantly fill, just as happened before September 11th.
“And, as we know, in 2011, America hastily and mistakenly withdrew
from Iraq. As a result, our hard-won gains slipped back into the hands
of terrorist enemies. Our soldiers watched as cities they had fought
for, and bled to liberate, and won, were occupied by a terrorist group
called ISIS. The vacuum we created by leaving too soon gave safe haven
for ISIS to spread, to grow, recruit, and launch attacks. We cannot
repeat in Afghanistan the mistake our leaders made in Iraq.
“Third and finally, I concluded that the security threats we face in
Afghanistan and the broader region are immense. Today, 20
U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations are active in
Afghanistan and Pakistan — the highest concentration in any region
anywhere in the world.
“For its part, Pakistan often gives safe haven to agents of chaos,
violence, and terror. The threat is worse because Pakistan and India are
two nuclear-armed states whose tense relations threaten to spiral into
conflict. And that could happen.
“No one denies that we have inherited a challenging and troubling
situation in Afghanistan and South Asia, but we do not have the luxury
of going back in time and making different or better decisions. When I
became President, I was given a bad and very complex hand, but I fully
knew what I was getting into: big and intricate problems. But, one way
or another, these problems will be solved — I’m a problem solver — and,
in the end, we will win.
“We must address the reality of the world as it exists right now —
the threats we face, and the confronting of all of the problems of
today, and extremely predictable consequences of a hasty withdrawal.
“We need look no further than last week’s vile, vicious attack in
Barcelona to understand that terror groups will stop at nothing to
commit the mass murder of innocent men, women and children. You saw it
for yourself. Horrible.
“As I outlined in my speech in Saudi Arabia three months ago, America
and our partners are committed to stripping terrorists of their
territory, cutting off their funding, and exposing the false allure of
their evil ideology.
“Terrorists who slaughter innocent people will find no glory in this
life or the next. They are nothing but thugs, and criminals, and
predators, and — that’s right — losers. Working alongside our allies, we
will break their will, dry up their recruitment, keep them from
crossing our borders, and yes, we will defeat them, and we will defeat
them handily.
“In Afghanistan and Pakistan, America’s interests are clear: We must
stop the resurgence of safe havens that enable terrorists to threaten
America, and we must prevent nuclear weapons and materials from coming
into the hands of terrorists and being used against us, or anywhere in
the world for that matter.
“But to prosecute this war, we will learn from history. As a result
of our comprehensive review, American strategy in Afghanistan and South
Asia will change dramatically in the following ways:
“A core pillar of our new strategy is a shift from a time-based
approach to one based on conditions. I’ve said it many times how
counterproductive it is for the United States to announce in advance the
dates we intend to begin, or end, military options. We will not talk
about numbers of troops or our plans for further military activities.
“Conditions on the ground — not arbitrary timetables — will guide our
strategy from now on. America’s enemies must never know our plans or
believe they can wait us out. I will not say when we are going to
attack, but attack we will.
Another fundamental pillar of our new strategy is the integration of
all instruments of American power — diplomatic, economic, and military —
toward a successful outcome.
“Someday, after an effective military effort, perhaps it will be
possible to have a political settlement that includes elements of the
Taliban in Afghanistan, but nobody knows if or when that will ever
happen. America will continue its support for the Afghan government and
the Afghan military as they confront the Taliban in the field.
“Ultimately, it is up to the people of Afghanistan to take ownership
of their future, to govern their society, and to achieve an everlasting
peace. We are a partner and a friend, but we will not dictate to the
Afghan people how to live, or how to govern their own complex society.
We are not nation-building again. We are killing terrorists.
“The next pillar of our new strategy is to change the approach and
how to deal with Pakistan. We can no longer be silent about Pakistan’s
safe havens for terrorist organizations, the Taliban, and other groups
that pose a threat to the region and beyond. Pakistan has much to gain
from partnering with our effort in Afghanistan. It has much to lose by
continuing to harbor criminals and terrorists.
“In the past, Pakistan has been a valued partner. Our militaries have
worked together against common enemies. The Pakistani people have
suffered greatly from terrorism and extremism. We recognize those
contributions and those sacrifices.
“But Pakistan has also sheltered the same organizations that try
every single day to kill our people. We have been paying Pakistan
billions and billions of dollars at the same time they are housing the
very terrorists that we are fighting. But that will have to change, and
that will change immediately. No partnership can survive a country’s
harboring of militants and terrorists who target U.S. servicemembers and
officials. It is time for Pakistan to demonstrate its commitment to
civilization, order, and to peace.
“Another critical part of the South Asia strategy for America is to
further develop its strategic partnership with India — the world’s
largest democracy and a key security and economic partner of the United
States. We appreciate India’s important contributions to stability in
Afghanistan, but India makes billions of dollars in trade with the
United States, and we want them to help us more with Afghanistan,
especially in the area of economic assistance and development. We are
committed to pursuing our shared objectives for peace and security in
South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific region.
“Finally, my administration will ensure that you, the brave defenders
of the American people, will have the necessary tools and rules of
engagement to make this strategy work, and work effectively and work
quickly.
“I have already lifted restrictions the previous administration
placed on our warfighters that prevented the Secretary of Defense and
our commanders in the field from fully and swiftly waging battle against
the enemy. Micromanagement from Washington, D.C. does not win battles.
They are won in the field drawing upon the judgment and expertise of
wartime commanders and frontline soldiers acting in real time, with real
authority, and with a clear mission to defeat the enemy.
“That’s why we will also expand authority for American armed forces
to target the terrorist and criminal networks that sow violence and
chaos throughout Afghanistan. These killers need to know they have
nowhere to hide; that no place is beyond the reach of American might and
Americans arms. Retribution will be fast and powerfu
“As we lift restrictions and expand authorities in the field, we are
already seeing dramatic results in the campaign to defeat ISIS,
including the liberation of Mosul in Iraq.
“Since my inauguration, we have achieved record-breaking success in
that regard. We will also maximize sanctions and other financial and law
enforcement actions against these networks to eliminate their ability
to export terror. When America commits its warriors to battle, we must
ensure they have every weapon to apply swift, decisive, and overwhelming
force.
“Our troops will fight to win. We will fight to win. From now on,
victory will have a clear definition: attacking our enemies,
obliterating ISIS, crushing al Qaeda, preventing the Taliban from taking
over Afghanistan, and stopping mass terror attacks against America
before they emerge.
“We will ask our NATO allies and global partners to support our new
strategy with additional troop and funding increases in line with our
own. We are confident they will. Since taking office, I have made clear
that our allies and partners must contribute much more money to our
collective defense, and they have done so.
“In this struggle, the heaviest burden will continue to be borne by
the good people of Afghanistan and their courageous armed forces. As the
prime minister of Afghanistan has promised, we are going to participate
in economic development to help defray the cost of this war to us.
“Afghanistan is fighting to defend and secure their country against
the same enemies who threaten us. The stronger the Afghan security
forces become, the less we will have to do. Afghans will secure and
build their own nation and define their own future. We want them to
succeed.
“But we will no longer use American military might to construct
democracies in faraway lands, or try to rebuild other countries in our
own image. Those days are now over. Instead, we will work with allies
and partners to protect our shared interests. We are not asking others
to change their way of life, but to pursue common goals that allow our
children to live better and safer lives. This principled realism will
guide our decisions moving forward.
“Military power alone will not bring peace to Afghanistan or stop the
terrorist threat arising in that country. But strategically applied
force aims to create the conditions for a political process to achieve a
lasting peace.
“America will work with the Afghan government as long as we see
determination and progress. However, our commitment is not unlimited,
and our support is not a blank check. The government of Afghanistan must
carry their share of the military, political, and economic burden. The
American people expect to see real reforms, real progress, and real
results. Our patience is not unlimited. We will keep our eyes wide open.
“In abiding by the oath I took on January 20th, I will remain
steadfast in protecting American lives and American interests. In this
effort, we will make common cause with any nation that chooses to stand
and fight alongside us against this global threat. Terrorists take heed:
America will never let up until you are dealt a lasting defeat.
“Under my administration, many billions of dollars more is being
spent on our military. And this includes vast amounts being spent on our
nuclear arsenal and missile defense.
“In every generation, we have faced down evil, and we have always
prevailed. We prevailed because we know who we are and what we are
fighting for.
“Not far from where we are gathered tonight, hundreds of thousands of
America’s greatest patriots lay in eternal rest at Arlington National
Cemetery. There is more courage, sacrifice, and love in those hallowed
grounds than in any other spot on the face of the Earth.
“Many of those who have fought and died in Afghanistan enlisted in
the months after September 11th, 2001. They volunteered for a simple
reason: They loved America, and they were determined to protect her.
“Now we must secure the cause for which they gave their lives. We
must unite to defend America from its enemies abroad. We must restore
the bonds of loyalty among our citizens at home, and we must achieve an
honorable and enduring outcome worthy of the enormous price that so many
have paid.
“Our actions, and in the months to come, all of them will honor the
sacrifice of every fallen hero, every family who lost a loved one, and
every wounded warrior who shed their blood in defense of our great
nation. With our resolve, we will ensure that your service and that your
families will bring about the defeat of our enemies and the arrival of
peace.
“We will push onward to victory with power in our hearts, courage in
our souls, and everlasting pride in each and every one of you.
“Thank you. May God bless our military. And may God bless the United States of America. Thank you very much. Thank you.”
