President addresses 'finest military in the history of the world'

After huddling with his national security advisers yesterday, President Obama flew to Naval Air Station Jacksonville and addressed an audience of servicemen and women.

The president’s latest strategy session and his subsequent trip here came on the deadliest day for American troops in Afghanistan in four years and only hours after 14 service members and 3 civilian agents of the Drug Enforcement Agency were killed in two separate helicopter crashes. His 15-minute address was delivered in an open hangar on the base before a standing audience. After the obligatory opening remarks the President complimented the service personnel in attendance, "We have the finest Navy and the finest military in the history of the world because we have the finest personnel in the world. You are the best trained, the best prepared, the best led force in history. Our people are our most precious resource." However, he quickly turned his attention to events earlier in the day in Afghanistan, "We're reminded of this again with today's helicopter crashes in Afghanistan. Fourteen Americans gave their lives. And our prayers are with these service members, their civilian colleagues, and the families who loved them." Looking to the future, the President announced that he would be signing the defense authorization bill later this week. He also announced that since the creation of the all-volunteer force, "the Navy and every component of every branch of the military, active, Guard and Reserve, met or exceeded their recruiting and retention goals." However, the President did not answer the million dollar question. He did not disclose whether or not he would be approving an increase in the size of the force in Afghanistan. Instead, he explained why he was taking his time and contemplating the options:

And while I will never hesitate to use force to protect the American people or our vital interests, I also promise you this -- and this is very important as we consider our next steps in Afghanistan: I will never rush the solemn decision of sending you into harm's way. I won't risk your lives unless it is absolutely necessary.

At the same time, speaking to the Council on Foreign Relations, and having just returned from Afghanistan, Senator John Kerry stated that he did not believe sending more troops to that country would improve the likelihood of a positive outcome, “The bottom line is that deploying additional troops won’t result in sustainable gains if the Afghan security, civilian and governance capacity isn’t there, and right now, as our generals will tell you, in many places, too many places, it isn’t.”