Petro Poroshenko Quotes

NATO's deterrence has always been adequate, and I'm not worried about the physical security of my country. Not at all.

I'm a professor of national security studies, and I know a lot more about fighting than Rumsfeld does.

But the federal government, our collective government, has responsibilities that none of these other levels of government can fulfill; and chief among these is national defense.

Anyone weighing whether to re-elect the President should take the bin Laden operation into account: it is a powerful exhibit that Obama is a steely Commander in Chief - a critical test for many Americans.

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

I am the commander in chief of the United States armed forces, and Iraq is gonna have to ultimately provide for its own security.

In any case, decisions on troop levels in the American system of government are not made by any general or set of generals but by the civilian leadership of the war effort.

I think in national security, the war in Iraq is troublesome and a difficult challenge, but our troops and the military leaders we have are managing that situation, although it continues to be very risky and very dangerous.

I say frankly, as a citizen more than a candidate, that I recoil at the prospect of Mr. Nixon as custodian of this nation’s future, as guardian of the hydrogen bomb, as representative of America in the world, as commander in chief of the United States armed forces.

Let no one expect us to disarm unilaterally. We are not a naive people.

France though armed to the teeth is pacifist to the core.

Ministers [government officials] in the conduct of war … assume that war having been declared, the sole duty and anxiety of Ministers should consist in supporting generals and armies in the field.

Our military structure and tactics have been designed more to protect the service interest than the national interest.

In a democracy such as ours military policy is dependent on public opinion.

When you are Commander in Chief, you should keep all your options on the table.

Secretary Perry became the 19th secretary of defense and the first enlisted man to serve in that role. He had time in the highest ranks of the Pentagon and was instrumental in the dismantlement of the nuclear warheads in the United States and Russia. Throughout his career, he has devoted himself to protecting the interests of the nation.

As president, I wouldn't be making the day-to-day combat decisions. The job of the commander-in-chief is to lay the objective out and then you rely upon the generals and admirals and commanders to give you their expert advice on the tools needed to carry out that objective.

I love the veterans. And I'll take care of them. And they know that I'll take care of them. And that's going to be my job. But, also, I have the ability, and the knowledge, and the background to make the right judgments, to keep America safe and secure.

We need a president who will lead with a stronger, more consistent foreign policy. We also need our commander in chief to put more faith in military leadership who have all of the combat experience. It’s bad policy to try to micromanage too much operationally and tactically from a desk in the Oval Office.

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.

I think under the leadership of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, the generals have been reduced to rubble. They have been reduced to a point where it's embarrassing for America.

I believe we should work and want to have the most powerful military, but hope we never have to use it. I strongly believe the military should know they are 100 percent supported by the commander in chief.

I don't know why you're talking about Sweden. They're the neutral one. They don't have an army.