Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen visited troops at Camp Red Cloud in the Republic of Korea July 21 where he answered questions at a town hall.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ADM Mike Mullen speak with reporters at the Pentagon.

Although it has come more slowly than expected, progress is, nonetheless, being made in Afghanistan, the top Defense Department civilian and military officials said today.

“I do not believe we are bogged down,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said of U.S. operations in Afghanistan. “I believe we are making some progress. It is slower and harder than we anticipated. I think we are moving forward.”

Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, took questions from reporters in a Pentagon news conference. They expressed support for President Barack Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan and confidence in his decision to nominate Army Gen. David H. Petraeus to command U.S. and international forces there.

Though Petraeus will be given an opportunity to assess the situation in Afghanistan, assuming he’s confirmed by the Senate, Gates said, the strategy there has not changed, and the chairman agreed.

“The strategy hasn’t changed in any way,” Mullen said. “Nor has the policy.”

Mullen explained that the strategy and troop increase Obama announced in December still is in its early stages. About one-third of the 30,000 additional troops the president approved have yet to deploy there, he noted.

Most of the surge troops who have arrived are operating in Marja, a former Taliban stronghold in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province. Success there is evident, the admiral said, as markets, schools and governance are under way there. Such freedoms had not been available there for more than eight years, he added.

Offensive operations in Kandahar, however, are kicking off slower than predicted, Mullen acknowledged. U.S. forces, he said, are still conducting “shaping” operations in Kandahar ahead of a planned offensive.
“We haven’t put off the operations in Kandahar,” Mullen said. “It’s an enormously complex operation. We need to make sure we get the forces there to execute. A significant part of this last 10,000 [troops] will be included in that.”

Operations in Marja and Kandahar are classic counterinsurgency operations, and they must be developed and executed carefully to sustain gains against the Taliban, Mullen said. Success in Kandahar, particularly, is vital to the overall success of the strategy, he added.

Earlier today, Mullen spoke to a group of political staffers, defense industry officials and reporters at The Hill newspaper’s annual Tribute to the Troops breakfast, where he noted Kandahar’s importance.

“Kandahar is really the center of gravity for how we move forward with this strategy,” he said. “I believe as goes Kandahar, so goes Afghanistan.

“This is a tough, tough time,” he continued. “There’s certainly a desire to get specific timelines, but I think they’re very difficult to pin down. It’s an extraordinary, complex challenge. It’s not just about security; it’s about governance [and] getting at corruption.”

Operations have been hindered by challenges in Kandahar, Mullen acknowledged, but it’s much too soon to determine the level of success there, he said.

“It is exceptionally well planned,” Mullen said. “It is an operation that has been discussed at great length with [Afghan] President [Hamid] Karzai, [and] both the Afghan leadership as well as the [NATO] and coalition leaderships are very much committed.”

From Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Admiral Mike Mullen:

For 235 years, the United States Army has truly been the strength of our nation. And today, I believe it is the best it has ever been.

One of the great privileges of this job is visiting our men and women in uniform, including our soldiers, who serve around the world. From Fort Hood to Kandahar and posts and FOBs in between, I am proud of and grateful for the courage you and your families display and the sacrifices you make every day. You embody what “Army Strong” is all about.

In a year that has seen historic progress in Iraq, a renewed effort in Afghanistan and a superb response to the humanitarian crisis following Haiti’s earthquake, the Army’s fighting spirit, resilience, and adaptability proved critical. You brought fear to the enemy, hope to the destitute and security to your fellow citizens. You proved in word and in deed that sometimes we defend our national interests best when we help others defend theirs.

I am also ever mindful of the commitment we must make to the fallen, our wounded warriors, and their families. Their sacrifices are as profound as they are enduring, and we will always honor those who have given so much to our Army, our country, and the world.

On behalf of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Happy 235th birthday to our Army and our Army Families. Hooah!

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff ADM Michael Mullen visits Fort Bragg, NC, and meets with troops preparing to deploy.

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Michael Mullen, was honored May 27 for his commitment to families of the fallen.

The following is from Navy Admiral Mike Mullen:

Not long after the Civil War, Americans pledged to honor those who, as Abraham Lincoln put it, gave the last full measure of devotion.

Be they from Lexington and Concord; Gettysburg and Antietam; the Argonne Forest or the beaches of Normandy; Chosin and Inchon; Saigon and the Mekong Delta; Baghdad or Kandahar, we have kept that pledge every Memorial Day, and rightfully so.

Today, a new generation of American heroes is fighting for freedom all across the globe. Some of them have given that last full measure, losing their lives to make a better life for all of us. It is the hardest currency of all, once spent never to be recouped, a debt we can never truly, fully repay.

This weekend is marked by events, large and small, across our nation to honor their memory and recognize the sacrifices of those family members and children they left behind. Please join me this Memorial Day in remembering, on behalf of present and coming generations, the deep and abiding debt we owe to our fallen and to their loved ones.