Our military men and women, with the support of their families, have carried out the mission in Afghanistan with the professionalism, bravery and expertise that is deserving of the nation's highest respect and appreciation. They toppled the Taliban regime and have successfully targeted and destroyed al Qaeda terrorists throughout Afghanistan. But the threats of al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations around the world cannot and will not ultimately be solved by staging tens of thousands of American troops in foreign countries for indefinite period. That is why I have voted to bring our military home from Afghanistan.
We have the military technology, ingenuity, and personnel to act on a global scale, alongside our allies, to knockout terrorist network wherever they may try to hide. By utilizing our special forces, mobile military operations, drone aircraft and the latest military technology, we can carry out pinpoint attacks on terrorists without occupying entire nations. If Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, or Switzerland for that matter, harbors known terrorists and refuses to take action, we should. This strategy, if applied by the capable men and women in our armed forces, will cost far fewer lives and resources then the course we have been pursuing in Afghanistan.