We have diverted soldiers from other organizations to fill our high-priority, war-fighting formations, ... Second, we have, for years, mortgaged our future readiness -- this modernization effort -- in order to assure that our soldiers had, in the near-term, what it takes to fight and win decisively.

We are the ones responsible to determine whether the war that our marines, soldiers and airmen are fighting in is worth the cause.

I spent five years working very hard to develop a relationship with the veterans' service organizations. We have together worked some major projects.

The magnificent army that fought in Desert Storm is a great army, and it still is a magnificent army today. But it was one we designed for the Cold War, and the Cold War has been over for ten years now.

Dad, how do soldiers killing each other solve the world's problems?

I do engage veterans. I meet with the veterans' service organizations monthly. It's a direct, no-holds-barred discussion. I travel to their conventions, where I speak to the veterans membership. I do travel. I've been to all 50 states. When I do, I engage veterans locally. So I get direct feedback from those veterans.