Bob Ainsworth Quotes

I will be the defence minister round-the-clock.

As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, my first priority is to ensure the readiness of our military.

I am extremely honoured to be the Defence Secretary, and I would not do the job if I did not think that I could make a useful contribution in the role.

The purpose of our military is to field the finest troops possible to defend our nation and win wars.

The president is in charge of the military so that a single individual - accountable to Americans - is responsible for its successes and failures.

It is not whether an independent Scotland could go it alone and develop its own defence forces - of course it could - but what sort of forces would they be?

You know, the commander-in-chief's first responsibility is look out for those in uniform who fight the wars.

There are in most states one or two ministers of war, one of whom is the minister of naval affairs.

In this ever-changing world, it's more important than ever that our top-notch military continues to receive the resources needed to serve and protect our country.

As I said a moment ago, there is no higher priority in our budget, or certainly in the budgets of the past few years, than providing for what is needed for the protection and security of our country and support of our troops.

I worked for the troops my entire time in the United States Armed Forces because we know in the United States Armed Forces that it's not the generals and the colonels that win battles, it's the soldiers: it's the people at the front, the mechanics with their wrenches, the drivers moving the logistics back in the rear.

We must have a Secretary of Defense who will manage, and not be managed, by the Pentagon.

It’s not the plans, it’s the people. I think we should have Defense Department people.

As the name of the agency suggests, 'Department of Defense,' the defense refers to the United States of America - not the defense of South Korea, not the defense of Ukraine, not the defense of Syria or Germany.

I spent 23 years in the military. I think I'm in a good position to make those judgments on what is necessary in the military and what is not necessary, without buying a lot of things that would not really add to our security.

If the men and women who protect the country are to succeed in the missions they are assigned, we simply must invest more in defense.

Our most important job in Congress is to provide for our national defense, and therefore, every year, Congress allocates funds and determines defense priorities in a bill known as the National Defense Authorization Act, or NDAA.

If the military is to show the capabilities that we demand and expect of it, then the defense budget has to continue to rise.

Obviously, defence is very sensitive and very challenging ministry.

We have an obligation to ensure our service members are protected, our national defense is resilient, and our forces are well-equipped.

I think that Donald Rumsfeld will go down in history as one of the worst secretaries of defense in history. We are paying a very heavy price for the mismanagement - that's the kindest word I can give you - of Donald Rumsfeld, of this war.

These soldiers deserve a better defense secretary than the one we have.

One of the things I would immediately do [as Commander in Chief ], in addition to defeating them here at home, is bring back the warrior class - Petraeus, McChrystal, Mattis, Keane, Flynn. Every single one of these generals I know. Every one was retired early because they told President [Barack] Obama things that he didn't want to hear.

As a former secretary of defense, I think Donald Rumsfeld is the best secretary of defense the United States has ever had.

The challenges facing our Armed Forces are increasingly complex.