Michael Mullen
Michael Mullen
Michael Glenn "Mike" Mullen, AO, MSCis a retired United States Navy admiral, who served as the 17th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from October 1, 2007, to September 30, 2011...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionWar Hero
Date of Birth4 October 1946
CountryUnited States of America
ensure haven obama president principal reason safe stay sure terrorist
Right now we're on the President Obama plan, and we'll stay with that. And from my perspective, the reason we're there is to make sure that we can achieve the principal goal which is ensure that Afghanistan can never become a safe haven for a terrorist organization like al Qaeda.
certainly expectation fact globally kept needs principles recent risen
I was in the military for over 40 years, and one of the principles I kept with me was that there's an expectation globally that the U.S. will lead. Questions about that expectation have certainly risen in recent years. The fact that there's even a question about that is worrisome to me, and I think needs to be for a lot of people.
prevent wars
I think that is a noble goal that all of us should seek, to end wars and prevent wars as much as possible.
kids met standard
I have met parents all over the world, and they all just want to raise their kids to a higher standard than they were raised with.
cut life run
Don't try to run your life through a single straw. Someone, some event, will cut it off.
across ask awful coast expect
Our training is world-class across all the services. We spend an awful lot on every soldier, sailor, airman, Marine, Coast Guardsman that comes in, and we ask them to do an awful lot, sometimes more than we expect of ourselves, and they do that.
america served
I would like America to remember those who have served and those that we've lost and their families.
civilian disconnect fewer increasing join less men people return women worried
Some 70% to 80% of all who join the military will return to the civilian workforce. They'll return to communities, and one of the things I've worried about is the increasing disconnect between the American people and our men and women in uniform. We come from fewer and fewer places. We're less than 1% of the population.
arms clear fair head national pay saying share threat
I've been pretty clear about saying that I think that the No. 1 threat to our national security is our debt. And we've got to get our arms around that and head it in another - head it in the right direction - that we have to pay our fair share of this.
concerned continued endorse iran nuclear strongly
I'm very concerned about the nuclear weapons development for Iran and the destabilizing influence it has and they have in that part of the world. And I strongly endorse continued pressure, diplomatically, financially, economically.
effort men mission public vietnam women
I'm a Vietnam veteran. I was here when there was no public support, not just for the effort in Vietnam, for the mission in Vietnam, but for our men and women in uniform.
counselor job simply
My job is simply to give advice, to be a counselor to our nation's leaders.
allowing cannot defend escape fact fellow forces gays lesbians matter men openly order policy position serve troubled women
It is my position that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly would be the right thing to do. No matter how I look at this issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens.
attach career change focused grown living people personal sort tells time
Basically, we've grown up very focused on the institution. The institution tells me what to do. It tells me where to go. It tells me what my career path is, and then I, sort of, attach my own personal desires, my own personal interests. I think we're living in a time where we're going to have to change - to put people in the center.