Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
Montgomery (AL) Advertiser
April 15, 2008 By Jenn Rowell
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice used her appearance Monday at Maxwell Air Force Base to emphasize the vital role "our superiority in the sky" will play in long-term U.S. military success in the Middle East.
Rice, an Alabama native, was at Maxwell to accept the first honorary degree ever conferred by Air University for her contributions to international relations and national security.
During her speech, she emphasized the Air Force's role in Afghanistan, which she called one of the most important U.S. missions and strategic opportunities.
"We can never forget that our gains on the ground are possible because of our superiority in the sky," she said. "Our Air Force is essential to that different form of warfare that we have had to learn -- or perhaps I should say relearn -- in recent years."
Ground operations depend on lift, precision strike and reconnaissance support that the Air Force provides. She said the Air Force also is doing things to support missions that few would have imagined in 2001, such as the six airmen leading provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan.
"You have been called to adapt to the demands of counterinsurgency. And I must say the State Department has been called to adapt too, and it's been hard," she said.
The military, State Department and other government agencies are having to engage with nations in ways they haven't before, and they're also having to help post-conflict nations rebuild. All of that requires going beyond embassy walls, Rice said.
When troops will come home has dominated congressional and public debate, and while Rice didn't offer any end date, she said she knew the end result.
"Here's why we will win in Afghanistan," she said.
The U.S. will win because of lessons learned and because the Afghan people, when given the choice, choose democracy and modernity, Rice said. Other promising developments are a strong partner in Afghanistan's elected President Hamid Karzai, a coalition-trained Afghani military and a rapidly growing Afghani economy.
American commitment also is evident in what Rice called bipartisan support in Congress, to the tune of $23 billion in financial assistance to help refugees return home, construction and infrastructure, and education.
"I am confident that we are laying the foundation for long-term success in Afghanistan," she said. "We must all understand and explain to our people that Afghanistan is not a peace-keeping operation. It is a hard counterinsurgency fight, and the stakes could not be higher."
Success in Afghanistan also could cut back on the international drug trade since about 70 percent of the poppy grown there is under Taliban control, Rice said.
It also will contribute to regional stability, and the entire operation is an important test of credibility for NATO, she said.
The key though, Rice said, is empowering the Afghani government and people and demoralizing the enemy.
Success in Afghanistan also could help Pakistan transition to democracy, Rice said.
The U.S. already has spent more than $300 million to support health programs in Pakistan. Although terrorists are attacking efforts at democracy there, the recent election favored a moderate democracy even after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Rice said.
While difficult and uncertain, it's a unique opportunity to secure lasting security in a troubled region, Rice said.
She added that the U.S. is in a dramatically different and better position in the Middle East now than in 2001.
On a lighter note, Rice used her Yellowhammer State background to offer some comic advice to the non-natives in the audience.
*When addressing people in Alabama, it's y'all. And more importantly, the plural isn't y'alls, it's all y'all.
*And there's no such thing as unsweet tea in Alabama.
*And just three words will get you anywhere, Rice joked: "Roll tide, roll."
April 15, 2008 By Jenn Rowell
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice used her appearance Monday at Maxwell Air Force Base to emphasize the vital role "our superiority in the sky" will play in long-term U.S. military success in the Middle East.
Rice, an Alabama native, was at Maxwell to accept the first honorary degree ever conferred by Air University for her contributions to international relations and national security.
During her speech, she emphasized the Air Force's role in Afghanistan, which she called one of the most important U.S. missions and strategic opportunities.
"We can never forget that our gains on the ground are possible because of our superiority in the sky," she said. "Our Air Force is essential to that different form of warfare that we have had to learn -- or perhaps I should say relearn -- in recent years."
Ground operations depend on lift, precision strike and reconnaissance support that the Air Force provides. She said the Air Force also is doing things to support missions that few would have imagined in 2001, such as the six airmen leading provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan.
"You have been called to adapt to the demands of counterinsurgency. And I must say the State Department has been called to adapt too, and it's been hard," she said.
The military, State Department and other government agencies are having to engage with nations in ways they haven't before, and they're also having to help post-conflict nations rebuild. All of that requires going beyond embassy walls, Rice said.
When troops will come home has dominated congressional and public debate, and while Rice didn't offer any end date, she said she knew the end result.
"Here's why we will win in Afghanistan," she said.
The U.S. will win because of lessons learned and because the Afghan people, when given the choice, choose democracy and modernity, Rice said. Other promising developments are a strong partner in Afghanistan's elected President Hamid Karzai, a coalition-trained Afghani military and a rapidly growing Afghani economy.
American commitment also is evident in what Rice called bipartisan support in Congress, to the tune of $23 billion in financial assistance to help refugees return home, construction and infrastructure, and education.
"I am confident that we are laying the foundation for long-term success in Afghanistan," she said. "We must all understand and explain to our people that Afghanistan is not a peace-keeping operation. It is a hard counterinsurgency fight, and the stakes could not be higher."
Success in Afghanistan also could cut back on the international drug trade since about 70 percent of the poppy grown there is under Taliban control, Rice said.
It also will contribute to regional stability, and the entire operation is an important test of credibility for NATO, she said.
The key though, Rice said, is empowering the Afghani government and people and demoralizing the enemy.
Success in Afghanistan also could help Pakistan transition to democracy, Rice said.
The U.S. already has spent more than $300 million to support health programs in Pakistan. Although terrorists are attacking efforts at democracy there, the recent election favored a moderate democracy even after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, Rice said.
While difficult and uncertain, it's a unique opportunity to secure lasting security in a troubled region, Rice said.
She added that the U.S. is in a dramatically different and better position in the Middle East now than in 2001.
On a lighter note, Rice used her Yellowhammer State background to offer some comic advice to the non-natives in the audience.
*When addressing people in Alabama, it's y'all. And more importantly, the plural isn't y'alls, it's all y'all.
*And there's no such thing as unsweet tea in Alabama.
*And just three words will get you anywhere, Rice joked: "Roll tide, roll."