Good evening Cadets.Eight years, two months and 20 days ago the United States of America was brutally and cowardly attacked. We lost 2,976 innocent men, women and children that day, September 11, 2001. Most of you here today were not even teenagers yet.
Three days later, September 14, 2001, by a vote of 98-0 in the Senate and 420-1 in the House, Congress passed emergency legislation, "To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible for the recent attacks launched against the United States."
We have a failed you. This fight should have already been won. We did not do what we were supposed to do.
That is why, contrary to the leaks you may have heard recently, I will not be increasing our troops in Afghanistan. In fact, instead of adding another 40,000 troops as those who have forgotten why we went there are now requesting, over the next 12 months I will be significantly reducing the current 68,000 to 15,000. Of the 15,000 who will remain; 5,000 will be Army Special Forces, 5,000 Marines and Navy Seals and 5,000 aerial, medical and ground support troops.
We will now have one mission: With this mighty force of America's finest we will track down and finally kill those responsible for the attack on us on September 11th. We will also be assisting Pakistan in eliminating our targets that are hiding in their lawless areas. Our goal is to complete this mission entirely by December 31, 2010.
Thank you... and may God bless you and America.
