Military Posture Quotes

We are not afraid of nuclear weapons. The point is that if we had in fact wanted to build a nuclear bomb, we are brave enough to say that we want it. But we never do that.

Who thinks seriously that if we sit on another hilltop, on another hundred meters, that this is what will make the difference for the state of Israel's basic security?

I never joined the army because at ease was never that easy to me. Seemed rather uptight still. I don't relax by parting my legs slightly and putting my hands behind my back. That does not equal ease. At ease was not being in the military. I am at ease, bro, because I am not in the military.

The National Defense Strategy remains our guiding document, and everything we do should support its stated objectives.

Deterrence is still fundamentally about influencing an actor's decisions. It is about a solid policy foundation. It is about credible capabilities. It is about what the U.S. and our allies as a whole can bring to bear in both a military and a nonmilitary sense.

Many Western officials are comfortable with confrontation, and discount or ignore the rising risks and costs of continued arms modernization. They would be intellectually and programmatically bereft without the focal point of a major "enemy".... Can the West get over its need to have an enemy?

A feasible North Korea strategy must consider how to reassure China that our objectives on the peninsula are not aggressive.

There's no question that Saddam Hussein is a threat Yes, he has chemical and biological weapons. He's had those for a long time. But the United States right now is on a very much different defensive posture than we were before September 11th of 2001 He is, as far as we know, actively pursuing nuclear capabilities, though he doesn't have nuclear warheads yet. If he were to acquire nuclear weapons, I think our friends in the region would face greatly increased risks as would we.

What we have to stop and think about is that we have weakened ourselves militarily to such an extent that it affects all of our military policies.

The American troop levels on the continent are important. What happens five, 10, 15 years from now is part of a larger discussion that reflects the threat level, America’s posture, our needs around the globe, but most importantly the capability of European countries to step up. That’s why our message is so stark to our European allies — now is the time to invest because you can’t make an assumption that America’s presence will last forever.

The Russians don't make determinations about what our defense posture is.

The fact is that one significant way the Iranians have a posture different from the North Koreans, the North Koreans basically are saying we have a nuclear program. We are seeking weapons. We have produced weapons. We're proud of the fact that we have weapons.

We must on all occasions, avoid a general action, nor put anything to the risk unless compelled by a necessity into which we ought never to be drawn. The war must be defensive, a war of posts. I have never spared the spade and the pickaxe.

I will work hard to ensure Hawaii's strategic position in our national security remains strong.