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good afternoon . I'm Chris Miller , 

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acting secretary defense , and I'm here 

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today to update you on President 

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Trump's plan to bring the wars in 

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Afghanistan and Iraq to a successful 

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and responsible conclusion and to bring 

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our brave service members home from 

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Kabul to Kandahar and from Mosul to 

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Fallujah . Hundreds of thousands of 

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America's finest sons and daughters who 

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selflessly answered the call to serve 

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in the Army , Navy , Air Force , Marine 

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Corps and Coast Guard have brought us 

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to this point . Their efforts and 

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sacrifice will go down in history as 

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epitomizing that strength , commitment 

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and empathy of a force that is unlike 

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any the world has ever seen . Just last 

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night , I joined vice President Mike 

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Pence and chairman of the Joint Chiefs 

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of Staff General Milley to attend the 

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dignified transfer of five American 

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soldiers who perished on duty in the 

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Middle East . This was a somber and 

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humbling moment that reminded us of the 

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tremendous sacrifices made by the men 

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and women of the United States military 

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in service of freedom and security . 

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Our armed forces taken oath to support 

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and defend the constitution of the 

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United States . They serve not for 

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personal game , but for the protection 

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and well being of their fellow 

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Americans and their homeland , their 

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champions for peace , liberty and the 

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rule of law and unrelenting when called 

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upon to defend our people and our 

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values , we owe them and their loved 

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ones an enormous debt of gratitude . 

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This is why I'm enormously blessed and 

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privileged to stand before you today to 

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outline the next phase of our campaign 

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to defeat terrorists who have 

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perpetrated attacks on our homeland , 

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including those who helped harbor them 

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and to prevent prevent future acts of 

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terrorism against our nation . We owe 

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this moment the many patriots who made 

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the ultimate sacrifice and their 

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comrades who carry forward their legacy . 

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Together we have Maurin loss of more 

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than 6900 American troops who gave 

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their lives in Afghanistan in Iraq , 

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and we will never forget the more than 

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52,000 who bear the wounds of war and 

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all those who still carry it , scars 

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visible and invisible . 

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In light of these tremendous sacrifices 

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and with great humility and gratitude 

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to those who came before us , I am 

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formally announcing that we will 

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implement President Trump's orders to 

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continue our repositioning of forces 

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from those two countries by January 

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15th , 2000 and one . Excuse me . I 

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clearly am thinking of where this 

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started in 2000 and one . By January 

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15th , 2021 our forces 

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their size in Afghanistan will be 

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2500 . Troops are four size in 

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Iraq will also be 2500 

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by that same date . This is consistent 

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with our established plans and 

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strategic objectives supported by the 

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American people , and does not equate 

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to a change in US policy or objectives . 

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Moreover , this decision by the 

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president is based on continuous 

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engagement with his national security 

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cabinet . Over the past several months , 

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including ongoing discussions with me 

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and my colleagues across the United 

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States government , I have also spoken 

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with our military commanders and we all 

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will execute this repositioning in a 

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way that protects our fighting men and 

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women , our partners in the 

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intelligence , community and diplomatic 

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corps , and are superb allies that are 

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critical to rebuilding Afghan and 

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Iraqi security capabilities and civil 

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society for a lasting peace in troubled 

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lands . And just this morning , I spoke 

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with key leaders in Congress , a swell 

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as our allies and partners abroad to 

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update them on these plans . In light 

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of our shared approach , we went in 

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together . We adjust together . When 

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the time is right , we will leave 

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together . What of my calls was to 

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NATO's secretary general Stoltenberg ? 

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Another was to Afghanistan's President 

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Ghani , who express his gratitude for 

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every American service member who has 

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fought for peace and strengthen the 

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longstanding friendship between our 

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countries . President Ghani highlighted 

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the caliber of our troops , which he 

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noted , has always been more important 

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than the quantity . We continue to 

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stand with him as his government works 

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toward a negotiated settlement for 

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peace . Meanwhile , let us 

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remind those who question our resolve 

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or may seek to interfere with this 

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prudent , well planned and coordinated 

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transition . The United States armed 

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forces remain committed to protecting 

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the safety and security of the American 

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people and supporting our like minded 

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allies and partners worldwide . If the 

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forces of terror , instability division 

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and hate begin a deliberate campaign to 

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disrupt our efforts , we stand ready to 

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apply the capabilities required to 

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thwart them . As a veteran whose life 

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and family was irrevocably changed in 

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the deserts , mountains and cities of 

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Iraq and Afghanistan , along with the 

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hundreds of thousands of US troops who 

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have fought there and we're forever 

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transformed by their experiences . I 

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celebrate this day is we continue the 

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president's consistent progress in 

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completing the mission we began nearly 

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two decades ago . I want to thank the 

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Afghans and Iraqis who have partnered 

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with us throughout and who now carry 

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the bulk of the fighting to secure 

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their homelands . I want to thank our 

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NATO allies and other partners who have 

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fought alongside us and taking the lead 

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on training and advising the Afghan and 

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Iraqi security forces . We will 

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continue to support their efforts 

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and thanks to our more than 80 partners 

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in the Defeat Isis Coalition , we have 

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destroyed the Isis caliphate and will 

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ensure they never again gain a foothold 

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to attack our people . In 

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closing , we set out to accomplish 

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three goals in 2000 and one first go 

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abroad and destroy terrorists , their 

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organizations and their sanctuaries to 

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strengthen our defenses against future 

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attacks . And three prevent the 

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continued growth of Islamist terrorism 

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to include by working with allies and 

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local partners to take the lead in the 

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fight today is another critical 

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step in that direction and a result of 

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President Trump's bold leadership with 

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the blessings of Providence . In the 

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coming year , we will finish this 

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generational war and bring our men and 

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women home . We will protect our 

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Children from the heavy burden and toll 

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of perpetual war . And we will honor 

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the sacrifices made in service to peace 

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and stability in Afghanistan , Iraq and 

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around the world , and celebrate all 

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those who helped us secure freedom over 

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oppression . God bless our women and 

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men in uniform . Thank you very 

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much 

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A