Dempsey Reminds Americans to Remember Meaning of Memorial Day

By Nick Simeone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, May 28, 2012 – In a round of Memorial Day television interviews today, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff urged Americans to reflect on the meaning of this national holiday, a message underscored by the on-going mission in Afghanistan as well as fresh reminders of the military’s obligation to be ready to respond if called upon.

“I would ask people to take a solemn moment at some point during the day to remember exactly what we are celebrating and that is we’re celebrating our freedom,” Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told NBC’s “Today” show in an appearance from the Pentagon. “The freedom that was purchased by more than two million men and women throughout the course of our history and, of course, more than 64-hundred or so in the past 10 years alone.”

On multiple morning news programs, questioning quickly turned to the war in Afghanistan, with Dempsey saying he defines progress there as having Afghans able to provide for their own security and governance.

“Success in Afghanistan will be when the Afghan Security Forces are capable of maintaining stability inside their own country and the central government of Afghanistan is able to provide governance. I think that has always been the definition of success both in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he told CNN’s “Starting Point” program. “I think we are moving positively toward those objectives.”

Dempsey dismissed concerns about a possible resurgence of the Taliban, which Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta called ‘resilient’ on ABC’s “This Week” program yesterday. 

“I will say the Strategic Partnership Agreement that we entered with Afghanistan should give pause to the Taliban that they simply cannot wait us out,” he said on CNN. That agreement, signed by President Barack Obama and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul May 2, establishes the basis for cooperation between both countries over the next decade, after the end of the NATO mission. The agreement includes cooperation on counterterrorism and the continued training of the Afghan National Security Forces.

Dempsey’s interviews coincided with reports of a massacre of more than 100 civilians in Syria, in apparent violation of a ceasefire between the government of President Bashar al-Asad and his opponents. On “Fox and Friends,” the general called reports of the deaths “atrocious,” and would not rule out a possible military option if such atrocities continue.

“My job as senior military leader is to provide the president options when a political decision is taken …and I frankly believe the pressure has to be mounting on Asad and should continue to mount on Asad and if asked for those options at some point, I’ll be prepared to provide them,” he said.   

But Dempsey’s central message, as he told CNN, was the day itself, and he continued to return to what it means, including the daily reminder he receives of the nation’s sacrifice every morning as he arrives at the Pentagon.     

“I drive to work every day past Arlington Cemetery, and there are 260-thousand small American flags planted at each of these gravesites, so I just want to make sure that they know that we will never forget.”

Panetta, Dempsey Agree International Accord Needed on Syria

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, April 19, 2012 – Syria is in the midst of a tense, fluid and dangerous time, and the U.S. military stands ready to do whatever mission the president and Congress assign to it, top Defense Department leaders told the House Armed Services Committee here today.

Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta and Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, repeatedly stressed the situation in Syria is complicated and that no unilateral U.S. action can solve the problem of Bashar Assad’s regime killing its own people.

The Syrian people revolted against Assad beginning last year. Unlike similar revolts in Tunisia and Egypt, this one met the iron fist of the Syrian military.

“Rather than trying to meet the legitimate demands of the people, the regime … turned instead to violence against its own people,” Panetta said. “That violence has been brutal, and it has been devastating. It has put the Syrian people in a desperate and difficult situation. It has outraged the conscience of all good people, and it has threatened stability in a very important part of the world.”

President Barack Obama has said that through his violence against his people, Assad has lost any legitimacy. Administration leaders repeatedly have stressed that Assad should begin the transition to a government that respects the rights of the people.

This will require an international consensus, Panetta said. From every angle, the situation in Syria is enormously complex, he added.

“There is no silver bullet; I wish there was, but there isn’t,” he said. “At the same time, the situation is of grave consequence to the Syrian people. There are many others who are affected by what happens in Syria as well, including Syria's neighbors -- Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, and all nations with a vital interest in the Middle East.”

In his remarks to the committee, Dempsey said the Assad regime should have answered the revolt with real democratic reform. “Instead, the regime responded with brutality,” he said. “Syria’s internal convulsions are having consequences for a region already in turmoil.”

Thousands are fleeing the civil war in Syria, and fighting has spilled over into neighboring countries -- most notably in Turkey, where five people were killed in a refugee camp.

The United States has other concerns due to the fighting, such as opportunistic extremists who may seek to exploit the situation, the chairman said. The United States also is concerned about the fate of Syria’s chemical and biological weapons. “They need to stay exactly where they are,” the general said.

At present, Dempsey said, the U.S. military is limited to sharing information regarding Syria with regional partners. “But should we be called on to help secure U.S. interests in other ways, we will be ready,” he added.

Meanwhile, the chairman told the panel, the U.S. military maintains its agile regional and global posture.

“We have solid military relationships with every country on Syria’s border,” he said. “Should we be called, our responsibility is clear: provide the secretary of defense and the president with options, and these options will be judged in terms of their suitability, their feasibility and their acceptability.”

U.S. Will Continue to Assess Syria, Panetta Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2012 – The Syrian regime will fall, and the United States will help to speed that day through political and diplomatic efforts, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta told the Senate Armed Services Committee today.

Though now is not the time for U.S. military boots on the ground in Syria, Panetta said, the United States will continue to evaluate the situation there.

Syrian President Bashar Assad must stop his attacks on his own people, the secretary said, as Syrians try to follow in the footsteps of other Arab nations that have overthrown despots in the past year. Assad’s forces are indiscriminately murdering those opposed to the regime.

“He must step aside and allow a democratic transition to proceed immediately,” Panetta said.

The regime has lost whatever legitimacy it once had, and the situation demands an international response, the secretary said, noting that the United States has been leading efforts in the international community to pressure Assad to stop his violence against the Syrian people and step aside.

Panetta acknowledged that some say it is time for U.S. military intervention, while others worry that this would get the United States embroiled in another long-term commitment in the Middle East. Military action like the intervention in Libya is not a one-size-fits-all model, he said.

“Each situation -- by virtue of the politics, geography, and history of each country -- is unique, and demands a unique response,”Panettatold the Senate committee. “There can be no cookie-cutter approach for a region as complex and volatile as the Middle East.”

The secretary stressed that American response in the region is governed by three principles.

“First, we oppose the use of violence and repression by regimes against their own people,” he said. “Second, we have supported the exercise of universal human rights -- which include the right to freedom of expression, the right of peaceful assembly, the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, the prohibition against discrimination, and the right to vote through genuine elections that express the will of the electorate. Third, we support political and economic reforms that can meet the legitimate aspirations of ordinary people throughout the region.”

These principles have shaped the American response to events in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, and now, Syria, he said.

The United States is forging an international consensus that the Assad regime’s brutality must end and that a democratic transition in Syria must begin, Panetta said. Russia and China have blocked the United Nations Security Council from taking action, but the U.N. General Assembly has supported the Arab League’s transition plan for Syria.

The United States is sending emergency humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people, with an initial commitment of $10 million, the secretary said. The United States is working with the Friends of Syria and other anti-Assad groups to help in strengthening the opposition. There currently is no effective opposition group that can handle a peaceful, orderly transition to a democratic government, Panetta told the senators.

“We are reviewing all possible additional steps that can be taken with our international partners to support efforts to protect the Syrian people, end the violence, and ensure regional stability, including potential military options if necessary,” he said.

Panetta emphasized that the problems in Syria have no easy solutions.

“We believe that the best resolution to this crisis will be a peaceful, political, democratic transition led by the Syrian people and along the lines suggested by the Arab League,” he said. “We believe there is still an opportunity to achieve that goal.”

Panetta to Reinforce Strong U.S.-Turkey Partnership

By Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service

ANKARA, Turkey, Dec. 15, 2011 – Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta arrived here today to reinforce the United States’ strong relationship with a critical security partner within the region and NATO.

Panetta traveled here after ceremonies in Iraq marking the end of the U.S. Forces Iraq mission, with stops also in Afghanistan and Djibouti.

In Ankara, the secretary will meet with President Abdullah Gul and Turkish defense leaders to thank them for their country’s leadership during a period of transition and change within the region.

“Turkey represents a key ally in the Middle East,” Panetta told reporters traveling with him.

In addition to being a strong NATO ally, Turkey is “extremely important to the ability to try to keep what is happening in the Middle East headed in the right direction,” he said.

“They can have an influence on what happens in Egypt, what happens in Iraq, what happens in Iran, what happens in Syria,” the secretary said.

Panetta noted that Turkey has taken a strong position in condemning Syria’s violent crackdown on protestors and calling for President Bashar Assad to step down.

“Turkey is coming on very strong in recent weeks in full alignment with our efforts and those of our key Arab and European partners,” a senior defense official traveling with Panetta told reporters.

The secretary also said he will commend Turkey’s decision to host the forward-based radar for the NATO missile defense system.

Panetta also is expected to thank the Turks for their contributions to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

Also during the visit, the secretary is expected to express the United States’ solidarity in its fight against the PKK terrorists and ways to continue that support as U.S. forces complete their drawdown in Iraq, the official said.

Echoing a theme he raised earlier this month, the secretary is likely to encourage Turkey to strengthen and, where necessary, build relations with key neighbors, including Israel, Armenia and Cyprus, the official said.

This Day in Naval History - Feb. 09

From the Navy News Service

1799 - USS Constellation, commanded by Capt. Thomas Truxtun, captures the French warship l'Insurgente.

1943 - The organized Japanese resistance on Guadalcanal ends.

1947 - Carrier USS Wright (CVL 49) is commissioned.

1978 - A new era in naval communications begins with the launching of the first satellite of the Navy's Fleet Satellite Communications System.

1984 - Destroyer USS Moosbrugger (DD 980) fires approximately 150 shells at Syrian artillery positions east of Beirut.