Troops, Families Must Remain ‘Front and Center’

Mullen: Troops, Families Must Remain ‘Front and Center’

By Elaine Sanchez
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, July 14, 2011 – Although the military is in a time of unprecedented change, from budget constraints to the drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan, caring for troops and their families must remain a constant, Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said today during an all-hands call on U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, South Korea.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, greets service members during an all-hands call at U.S. Army Garrison Yongsan in Seoul, South Korea, July 14, 2011. DOD photo by Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

“We can buy a lot of neat stuff and go operate in a lot of places, [but] the No. 1 priority for me are people and our families,” the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told the service members. “No matter where we go or what we buy, in the end, the heart of what we are is you.”

Change is happening at a pace he’s never seen before, the chairman noted. “We’ve moved beyond any kind of steady state … across the board, whether you’re talking about education or promotion or operation or equipment.”

The chairman touched on the more immediate changes occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military is on track to move out of Iraq by the end of the year, he said, and in Afghanistan, 33,000 troops will withdraw from the country by September 2012.
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Troops, Families Must Remain ‘Front and Center’