General Jack Keane vs. Admiral Mike Mullen:
Mullen told Keane he had become acutely aware of the strains on the Army and the Marine Corps. Military families were shouldering the strain, and the military was losing quality officers.
“Mike, all of that’s true,” Keane said. “But this is true every time we fight a war of any consequence.” Wars break armies, and they have to be put back together, he said. That’s the price of war. But the price was worth it. “You’ve not talked one time about winning here, Mike. Not one time have you mentioned ‘I want to win in Iraq.’ I mean, do you?”
It was an insulting question to put to a fellow military man.
“Of course I want to win,” Mullen said.
“I assume you do,” Keane replied, “but to the degree that you’re putting pressure on Petraeus to reduce forces, you’re taking far too
much risk, and that risk is in losing and not winning.”
“Well,” Mullen said, “we’re just going to disagree.”
much risk, and that risk is in losing and not winning.”