1. “Fighting the Long War-- Military Strategy for the War on Terrorism”
Rear Admiral Bill Sullivan Vice Director for Strategic Plans & Policy The Joint Staff

2. Why America Wants: a “Short War”
A short war means lower costs in lives and national treasure.
A short war reflects the enormous talent and power of our nation.
To the average American, the threat to the U.S. is difficult to comprehend.
War is alien to the peaceful nature and desires of our nation.

3. Why the Global War on Terrorism is a “Long War”
The enemy is committed to his cause. He is prepared to fight to the death for what he believes is a defense of his religion.
The enemy has a strategy with global aspirations. He estimates it will take him decades to accomplish his strategic objectives.
It requires change within the Islamic world. Historically, such changes have taken centuries to occur.
It requires increased partner nation capacity – armed forces, police, economic development, and good governance – to combat the violent extremist threat. Such growth takes decades to achieve.
-All elements of national power , emphasize the economic aspects
-Need increased knowledge, both in the West and the Islamic community
The enemy has committed to a long war and publicly articulated his goals for decades

4. Violent Extremism is not a new phenomenon
“Those who study jihad will understand why Islam wants to conquer the whole world. All the countries conquered by Islam or to be conquered in the future will be marked for everlasting salvation. Islam says: Kill all the unbelievers just as they would kill you all!”
Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, 1942
“[The defense of the homeland] is not the ultimate objective of the Islamic movement of jihad, but it is a means of establishing the Divine authority within it so that it becomes the headquarters for the movement of Islam, which is then to be carries throughout the earth to the whole of mankind, as the object of this religion is all humanity and its sphere of action is the whole earth.”
Sayyid Qutb, 1955
- The phenomenon of violent Islamic extremism did not begin on For centuries, in-fact, there have been elements within all faiths that exhorted to violent extremism to promote and expand their view of the world. These quotes show that since the period surrounding WWII, violent extremists and their expansionist ideology have been voicing their corrupt view of the world.
- To fully understand our enemy’s intent, we have to look no further than their written and spoken word. Much like Hitler did in Mein Kampf, al Qa’ida has very publicly outlined its goals.
How are these objectives related to the history of the Muslim empire?

5. Violent Extremists: What They are Saying
“We are seeking to incite the Islamic Nation to rise up to liberate its land and to conduct Jihad for the sake of God.” Usama bin Laden
“If their economy is destroyed, they will be busy with their own affairs rather than enslaving the weak peoples. It is very important to concentrate on hitting the US economy through all possible means.” Usama bin Laden
“Acquiring chemical and nuclear weapons for the defense of Muslims is a religious duty.” Usama bin Laden
“The aftermath of the collapse of American power in Vietnam – and how they ran and left their agents – is noteworthy.” - al-Zawahiri to Al-Zarqawi
“Bush, reinforce your security measures. The Islamic nation which sent you the New York and Washington brigades has taken the firm decision to send you successive brigades to sow death and aspire to paradise.” - al-Zawahiri
- As these quotes show, the current leadership of the violent extremists are carrying on the ideology and objectives of their extremist perceptions.
“Oh Allah, strike the apostate rulers; Oh Allah, kill them one after the other, sparing none.” al-Zarqawi
“Al-Zarqawi came to this arena (Iraq) only to expel the Americans from the Muslims’ country and to establish an Islamic Government. This is part of the goal, because if this is not done, how will we be able to bring about coups d’etat in neighboring countries? How can we rescue Jerusalem when we have no base from which to set out?.”
- Associate of Abu Musab al Zarqawi

6. Global War on Terrorism--Who is the enemy?
The enemy consists of various extremist Islamic groups that espouse the use of violence to achieve their ideological aims – al Qa’ida being the most dangerous. Characteristics are:
No state, no uniform, lives among the population
Believes religion is under attack and calls upon Muslims to defend Islam
Even support by 1% of the Muslim population would equate to over 12 million “enemies”
While we may view his beliefs as dangerously misguided….
He is absolutely committed to his cause
His religious ideology successfully attracts recruits
He has a sufficient population base from which to protract the conflict
We are at war with an enemy who flies no flag, defends no borders, has no standing armies, and occupies no territory but who derives its strength and support by:
- Developing safe havens in the geographic, virtual, and mass media worlds – especially the internet
- Setting up front companies to gain and move resources
- Buying off politicians and financiers who launder illicit money
- Co-opting or enlisting sympathetic civic and charitable organizations that propagate their ideology of hate
The followers of Islamic radicalism are bound together by this extreme ideology, not by any centralized command structure. This makes it easy for a loose network to achieve “unity of effort” and difficult for any single military campaign to eradicate the threat, since ideas can’t be eliminated by guns alone.
They are masters of intimidation, but not of the battlefield. They can intimidate and kill ordinary people, but cannot win an engagement against military forces properly employed.
They exploit local conflicts to build a culture of victimization; mobilize resentful, disillusioned, and underemployed young men and women, and use modern technology to amplify the effects of their destructive acts.
How has the enemy become so dangerous?

7. How has the enemy become so dangerous?
Increasing ambitions coupled with an ever increasing capabilities gives extremists an unprecedented ability to affect world events with global ramifications
Weapons Proliferation
Information Technology
Perceived Grievances
The war in Iraq/Afghanistan
Perception that we are fighting a war against Islam
Palestine, Israel
Visa, Immigration policy
Detainee Abuse
IEDs
Suicide Bombers
Missiles
Nuclear
Chemical/Biological
Internet
News Media
Satellite T.V.
Cell Phones
The ambition of the violent extremists is not new. But the ‘re-discovery’ of this ambition coupled with the vast proliferation of weapons capability, dramatic improvement in information technology and exploitation of perceived grievances have made them the most dangerous threat to world stability today.
Access to new weapons, techniques, and global reach enables the terrorist to create dramatic impacts through violent attacks such as subway bombings, IED explosions, and the 911 attacks.
These attacks, however, would mean little without a global information campaign. They know that propaganda and making the news are more important than military operations, and they expertly use the virtual world for planning, recruiting, fundraising, indoctrination, and exploitation of the mass media.
Finally, they use these attacks and the corresponding propaganda to exploit perceived grievances. The grievances listed are those defined by AMB Karen Hughes of the State Department as those that have heightened the sensitivity of Muslims.
The combination of these elements provides the enemy with extraordinary reach that transcends state borders and enables them to build support by exploiting and exacerbating hopelessness throughout the Muslim community.
Mass effects capture media attention
Ability to transmit message
Populace that listens and supports their message
Do we have to fight a war now? Can we wait?

8. World War II: A Historical Perspective
Despite the threat, France, Britain and the United States did nothing to stop the rise of Nazi Germany.
Achieve “Peace in our Time” through appeasement.
The consequences of inaction:
Germany invades France and attacks Great Britain; invades North Africa, Russia and the Balkans; occupies Italy.
United States enters the war in 1941 after Pearl Harbor.
World War II costs:
Lives lost: 300,000 US; 70 million worldwide ( )
US war expenditures: $3.114 Trillion (2005 dollars); 38% of GDP per year
US reconstruction expenditures: $90 Billion over 4 years (2005 dollars); 1% of GDP per year ( )
Sixty three years ago, Nazi Germany had overrun almost all of Europe and hammered England to the verge of bankruptcy and defeat. All of Europe, from Norway to Italy was already under the Nazi heel. The United States was in an isolationist and pacifist mood – most Americans and Congress wanted nothing to do with the European war. Then along came Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941 and in outrage Congress unanimously declared war on Japan and the following day on Germany.
The cost of inaction early in the rise of Fascism is plain to see. We lost 300,000 Americans to this war and it cost us Trillion dollars. While easy to imagine in hindsight, it is not difficult to surmise that had the United States intervened early on in the conflict that many of nation’s treasured resources would have been preserved for the pursuit of happiness and peace.
The objectives of the violent extremists do not differ from those of the Nazis - World domination. His strategy, however, is different that of the Nazis. While the Nazis fought a conventional war of armies, navies, and air forces, today’s enemy bares little resemblance to this brand of warfare.
Is the Global War on Terrorism a precursor to a larger conflict?
What’s the enemies plan? What might this conflict look like?

9. Al Qa’ida’s Plan: A Present Day Manifestation
UNCLASSIFIED
Al Qa’ida’s Plan: A Present Day Manifestation
“We are seeking to incite the Islamic Nation to rise up to liberate its land and to conduct Jihad for the sake of God.” Usama bin Laden
Objective 1: Expel American influence from Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula
Objective 2: Remove secular governments within the region
Objective 3: Eliminate Israel and purge Jewish and Christian influence
Objective 4: Expand the Muslim empire to historical significance
Al Qa’ida represents the present day manifestation of the violent extremists. Their objectives are clear. Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and other Islamic extremists, have repeatedly outlined their goals and grievances in exceedingly unambiguous terms.
Their first objective, in a narrow context, is to remove U.S. military presence from Iraq and the Arabian Peninsula, and in the broader sense to eliminate or significantly reduce U.S. influence in the Islamic World.
The second is to remove the secular governments in the region, principally stated as those of Saudi Arabia and Egypt, and replace them with Islamic theocracies.
The third is to eliminate the state of Israel and purge the Arab peninsula of Jewish and Christian influence.
The fourth objective is to expand the caliphate to world domination.
Clearly articulated by Ayman al-Zawahiri in a letter to al-Zarqawi in July of 2005 is that Iraq is now center in their efforts to achieve their objectives. He explains to al-Zarqawi that expelling the Americans from Iraq is the first stage of several incremental goals to establish the caliphate in the manner of the Prophet. Zarqawi, himself, explicitly warned that the establishment of a democratic Iraq is the death of al-Qa’ida there.
The campaign against the United States and its allies is ambitious, simple and clear
- Bankrupt and exhaust us (Like the Soviet Union in Afghanistan or the United States in Vietnam)
- Work to establish and expand safe havens from which to operate
- Use their growing Islamic empire to gain WMD capabilities and control oil reserves
Iraq has become the focus of the enemy’s effort. If they win in Iraq, they have a base from which to expand their terror
Al-Zawahiri articulated these objectives to Al-Zarqawi in July How might this strategy play out?
UNCLASSIFIED

10. Objective 1: Expel America and Establish an Islamic Authority in Iraq
Attacks against the
West Continue
America departs Iraq prior to sufficient Iraqi capacity to provide security.
Insurgents step up attacks against the government and make religious claims for regime change.
Extremists overthrow the democratic government of Iraq and replace it with a Taliban-like regime.
United Nations issues a resolution, but does not commit to action.
United States does not re-enter the conflict
Lets explore, for a moment, how al Qa’ida’s stated objectives may play out.
If we lose our will and depart Iraq before establishing a secure and legitimate government, the enemy could eventually overthrow the government – much like we saw a few years after departing Southern Vietnam. This may take a few years or a decade for them to achieve. Either way, the result is the same – Iraq becomes a Taliban-like state that harbors, supports, and promotes terrorism beyond its borders.
Extremists now have an Emirate in Iraq that serves as a base of operations from which they can revive the Caliphate. 10

11. Objective 2: Extend the Jihad Wave to Neighboring Countries
Attacks against the
West Continue
Would Israel
join the conflict?
Would the U.S.
re-enter the conflict?
2. With Iraq as a base of operations, the extremists have the resources to export their message and terrorist acts throughout the middle east. The probability exists that the governments of Jordon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt are undermined and eventually collapse – replaced by fundamental extreme regimes. The overthrow of these governments revives the Caliphate, establishes Baghdad as it capital and threatens Israel.
Extremists export their message and terrorist acts throughout the middle east.
Violence and extremist ideology undermine governments of Jordan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Egypt.
Moderate governments collapse; Taliban-like regimes take their place.
Baghdad becomes the capital of the Caliphate.
The revived Caliphate now turns its attention to the destruction of Israel 11

12. Objective 3: Destroy Israel
Might nuclear
weapons be
employed?
Attacks against
the West continue
At what point does
the U.S. return
to Middle East?
Allies?
3. The new extremist regimes surround Israel and have the resources necessary to legitimately threaten the security of that nation. Potentially, the extremist use their vast oil wealth to procure and employ weapons of mass destruction. While attacks within the United States and Europe continue, the world is forced to decide whether to re-enter the conflict to defend Israel or not. It is likely that Israel will employ any and all means necessary to defend themselves – including the use of nuclear weapons. If this happens, it is likely that either Iran or potentially Pakistan might respond with nuclear weapons themselves to defend the Islamic world.
Attacks against Israel intensify.
United Nations issues resolution to stand down.
Caliphate gains support within the Muslim world
Caliphate attacks Israel
Extremists now poised to re-establish the historical Caliphate 12

13. Objective 4: Establish the historical Caliphate
The Caliphate calls for an uprising within the remaining Islamic states to join the restoration.
Remaining Islamic states collapse from within.
4. The results of any mass warfare in the middle east are ambiguous but it would likely lead to clash of civilizations between the Islamic world and the west. Should the west falter in the face of this threat, the extremist would likely garner the support of the entire Islamic world and expand the caliphate to historical borders. The implications of this are extraordinary but it would require the defeat of the United States.
This would require the defeat of the U. S.; how could that happen?

14. Consider How the U.S. can be Defeated…
The United States cannot be defeated militarily. The enemy knows this. But consider:
The world’s most dangerous people possess the world’s most dangerous weapons – nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons…
Terror attacks weaken the world economy
Continued casualties weaken national resolve
Traditional allies prefer accommodation
Would it expand the conflict into a “clash of civilizations?” Or…
Force our economy into a recession? Depression?
Create political pressure for isolationism?
Deter us from necessary action?
Force us to reach accommodation – “Peace in our Time?”
It is not difficult to accept that violent extremist present a clear and present danger to world stability.
It is more difficult, perhaps, to see how the enemy can leverage their capability to defeat or deter the United States.
While the enemy will never defeat America in a military battle, it is plausible that they could shake our will, hold us hostage or bankrupt or economy.
The enemy’s goal is to break our will with a constant drumbeat of death and destruction, amplified by an around-the-clock news cycle and clever use of the internet.
Potentially, America may decide to reach accommodation or “Peace in our Time” much like Stalin attempted with Hitler – with grave consequences.
While the enemy has a vision for defeating America, he has many vulnerabilities that we will exploit to achieve victory.
To win, the US must exploit the vulnerabilities of the enemy. What are they?

15. What are the Enemy’s Vulnerabilities?
The enemy’s violent acts, vision of the future, and ideology do not reflect the beliefs of the Muslim majority:
Murder of ordinary people widely unsupported within the Muslim population.
Repressive Taliban-like regimes do not appeal to the average Muslim.
The enemy has inherent weaknesses as well:
“Monolithic” view of Islam under-
estimates cultural and religious differences
No military capacity to expand their fight
beyond terrorist tactics
Underestimates the will of America
and our allies
Thankfully, the vast majority of the people of Islam – a religion whose very name means “peace” – do not buy al-Qa’ida’s extreme ideology.
These militants have shown themselves to be enemies of not only America and Iraq, but of Islam and humanity.
The defeated Taliban regime provides a glimpse into what the world would look like under the domination of these extremists. This is a vision that has no mass support anywhere in the world.
Right now, the enemy has no capability to seriously threaten the stability of any nation in the world, except, perhaps, Iraq. It is critical that we not allow them any further capacity.
Ultimately, we must undermine the support for these extremists by amplifying moderation throughout the Muslim world and highlighting the corrupt and repressive nature of the enemy. This is the enemy’s vulnerability.
So what do we need to do? What is our strategy?

16. US Strategy
The three key elements in win this war are:
Protect and defend the Homeland
Attack terrorists and their capacity to operate effectively at home and abroad
Support mainstream Muslim efforts to reject violent extremism
In addition to the strategic elements, there are three critical cross-cutting enablers:
Expanding foreign partnerships and partnership capacity
Strengthening our capacity to prevent terrorist acquisition and use of WMD
Institutionalizing domestically and internationally the strategy against violent extremists
At numerous venues, the President has clearly articulated how the United States will defeat the terrorist threat. He has explained that defeating a broad, decentralized, and adaptive terrorist network requires willpower and patience; constant military, diplomatic, and economic pressure; and strong, capable partners. To do this, we will
Continue to protect and defend the United States.
Attack terrorists and their capacity to operate effectively at home and abroad.
Strengthen our capacity to prevent terrorist acquisition and use of WMD.
These portions of our strategy focus on what the government must do to protect the people of the United States. This requires the understanding and support of the American people to sustain over the long term. But the entire nation has a responsibility to help;
Institutionalizing domestically and internationally the nature of this war and the strategy to defeat the enemy.
Supporting mainstream Muslims and implementing comprehensive programs to discredit the enemy ideology and highlighting America’s ideology of justice, liberty, inclusion, and peace.
And finally, expanding the foreign partners and partnership capacity.
This war goes far beyond the borders of Iraq, Afghanistan and the Greater Middle East

17. National Strategy for the GWOT
Strategic Aims:
Defeat violent extremism as a threat to our way of life as a free and open society, and
Create a global environment inhospitable to violent extremists and all who support them
Ends
Protect and defend the Homeland
Attack terrorists and their capacity to operate effectively at home and abroad
Support mainstream Muslim efforts to reject violent extremism
Ways
Slide depicts an effort initiated in Fall ’03, referred to as the Uni-brief (combination of four GWOT briefs). Has been briefed to POTUS, is found in the NDS, influencing the NCTC way ahead, and may become codified in an NSPD, or serve as our USG GWOT strategy.
Lay out the Ends-Ways-Means construct (describe mutually supportive nature of the framework)
LT USG Strategic Goal: Preserve and promote the way of life of free and open societies based on the rule of law, defeat terrorist extremism as a threat to that way of life, and create a global environment inhospitable to terrorist extremists.
USG Strategy: Help create and lead a broad international effort to deny terrorists the resources they need to operate and survive. Has three elements: protect the homeland; disrupt and attack terrorist networks; and counter ideological support for terrorism.
Touch on CIST in terms of being a “decisive effort” in the war; but save the bell curve discussion for later.
Means: DIMEFIL – Diplomatic, Information, Military, Economic, Financial, Intelligence, and Law Enforcement
This framework – the strategic elements – also serve as a method of organizing for the GWOT.
DHS – PtH
DoD: D&A
CIST: STATE
Expand foreign partnerships and partnership capacity
Strengthening our capacity to prevent terrorist acquisition and use of WMD
Institutionalizing domestically and internationally the strategy against violent extremists
Means
Instruments of National Power

18. Military Strategic Framework for the GWOT
Strategic Goal: Preserve and promote the way of life of free and open societies based on the rule of law, defeat terrorist extremism as a threat to our way of life, and create a global environment inhospitable to terrorist extremists.
Ends
Enemy
Ideological support
Leadership
Safe Havens
Funds
Enemy
Leadership
Finance
Communication
Weapons
Comms & Movement
Movement
Intelligence
Safe havens
Foot soldiers
Weapons
Personnel
Access to Targets
Ideology
Protect the Homeland
Disrupt and Attack Terrorist Networks
Counter Ideological Support for Terrorism
Deny terrorists the resources they need to operate and survive.
Enable partner nations to counter terrorism.
Ways
Now, dissecting the MEANS even further, this slide shows the military’s contribution to the framework.
We keep the strategic goal and strategic elements, but have added
CPG TOs (classified, so we’ve dropped them from the slide)
Enemy Resources (list these)
6 MSOs (list these -- our contributions to the USG strategy)
Military means
Lay out the ends-ways-means construct
Key Point: These six mil strategic objectives guide the planning and conduct of military operations along the strategic elements.
Ties back to initial point that NMSP-WOT is a translation of strategic guidance into something that is usable by combatant commanders for their campaign planning.
Now, we’ll briefly touch on each of the objectives so you have a better understanding.
Deny WMD/E proliferation, recover and eliminate uncontrolled materials, and maintain capacity for consequence mgmt.
Military Strategic Objectives
Defeat terrorists and their organizations.
Counter state and non-state support for terrorism in coordination with other U.S. Government agencies and partner nations.
Contribute to the establishment of conditions that counter ideological support for terrorism.
Means
Combatant Commands, Services, and Combat Support Agencies

19. Defeating an Ideology: Takes Time
“The Islamic Radical threat of this century greatly resembles the bankrupt ideology of the last. The murderous ideology of the Islamic radicals is the great challenge of our century. Yet, in many ways, this fight resembles the struggle against communism in the last century.” -President Bush, 6 October 2005
Communism
Communist ideology gained prominence in 1919
US opposition began in 1946
43 years of Cold and Hot War to defeat the ideology
Communism ultimately collapsed from within
Violent Islamic-Based Extremism
Threads of history thousands of years long
Potentially more legitimacy with a religious based ideology, especially when conditions support
group based vs. state based – more difficult to apply cold war strategies
Similar to the cold war, the Global War on Terrorism will be measured in decades. It requires all elements of national power and efforts of coalitions/alliances. And there are extremely high stakes.
However, in this war we are faced with religious basis of violent extremism versus a political ideology, our enemy is predominately a stateless enemy and we do not desire to discredit Islam as we did with communism.
These differences highlight both the difficulty in fighting this war and the patience we must maintain. It took over 50 years to marginalize the communist ideology. It took thousands of years to discredit and rid the world of most slavery. It will take generations to undermine and defeat the violent extreme ideology of our current enemy.
Key Lesson: Marginalizing an ideology requires patience
and promoting reform from within

20. Ideology: Cold War vs. Violent Extremism
Cold War Similarities:
Measured in decades
Requires all elements of national power
Requires efforts of coalitions/alliances
Extremely high stakes
The further spread of terrorism – “Spillover” or “Domino Theory”
Greater restrictions of civil liberties to stem the expanding threat
Moderate governments in the Middle East at risk
Civil unrest in countries with sizable Muslim minorities
Key Differences:
Religious basis of violent extremism versus a political ideology
Extremists are predominately a stateless enemy
We cannot discredit all of Islam as we did with communism, it is a divine religion. We can only discredit the violent extremist
“…cures must come from within Muslim societies themselves. The United States must support such developments. But this process is likely to be measured in decades, not years.” /11 Commission Report

21. Building Capacity in the Cold War
Long Term Examples of Success (Decades of Support)
Germany, Japan, South Korea
Commonalities
Sustained American Presence – still today (over 50 years)
Significant American Investment
Democratic societies with free market economies
Payoff
Partner nations stood up to Communist threats
All are significant allies and trading partners
Each is a stabilizing force within their region
In 1952, Korea was devastated by Japanese occupation and the war with the north. Their natural, human, and manmade resources were destroyed. They had a 95% illiteracy rate and no record of national governance. Their Gross Domestic Product was equivalent to those of the poorest Asian and African Countries. Their economy was almost entirely rudimentary agriculture.
In 2005, Korea is know as on of the “Asian Tigers” – one of the top four Asian economies. Its GDP has grown to match those within the European Union. It economy has been entirely industrialized and focused on technology. It has experienced one of the most rapid growths in exports and trading since Most importantly, it no longer requires large numbers of American combat forces or American support for survival. It is one of our strongest allies in the world and a peace loving nation.
While American support was only an element that facilitated Korea’s amazing growth, it no doubt played a significant role. It did not come quick or cheap but the dedication and patience of our leaders past have left us with a vibrant and strong partner in the world. We to, have the responsibility to leave our children with strong partners for the future.
Key Lesson: Capacity building takes decades…but it is what allows the United States to win this war in the long term.

22. What are the Implications of Quitting? Failure?
Violent extremist overthrow the government of Iraq.
U.S. image damaged throughout the world – an emboldened enemy
Resource rich save havens for the enemy – increasing our risk of attack
Failure to stop the enemy now, while he is relatively weak, portends a larger conflict later – at enormous costs.
Much of the worlds energy resources held hostage
Many of the world’s population repressed and isolated from growth and prosperity
Extremists with the resources to carry-on continued attacks
Countries isolated from a global trading economy
Other religious beliefs repressed
American security and standard of living at jeopardy
Make no mistake, if the United States fails in Iraq and the Global War on Terrorism, there will be significant consequences. As we have seen since the attacks on 911, everything we hold dear as a freedom loving nation is at risk. Our freedom, civil liberties, speech, economy, and our security is at jeopardy in this fight.
While this war may seem far away and you may wonder how it impacts your life, consider what might have been had the United States whimpered in the face of fascism or communism in far away lands. The enemy’s goals do not end with the conquest of the regions depicted in this map. He has clearly articulated his goal of world domination. If allowed to succeed in the middle east, the enemy will force our nation to take more dramatic measures to secure the homeland. These security measures will likely be at the expense of civil liberties, free speech, economic growth, the freedom to move across borders.
If we understand the implications of failure, we must commit ourselves to a long war beyond our borders. How do we do this?
So, how do we commit to a “Long War?”

23. It is a “Long War”-- but it is a war we can and must win
Americans will commit to a “Long War” if:
CIVIL
LIBERTY
They understand our enemy and the threat he poses to the future of America.
They understand our strategy and how long it will take to complete it.
They are confident our leaders know what they are doing.
They know we have what it takes to defeat the enemy.
Our leaders communicate our actions plainly and honestly.
FREEDOM
PRIVACY
CHILDREN’S
FUTURE
First, we must know our enemy. Our enemy is al Qa’ida and their ideology. War are at a period now that is similar to the 1920s where communism and Nazism had not taken hold in Russia and Germany. The ideology of al Qa’ida is out there and it has not taken hold in any country in the Middle East. We need to make sure it does not and we are doing that, but it will be a long problem with a long commitment.
We have focused on the things that we Americans have done wrong, like Abu Ghraib, and we are not talking about the enemy. We need to focus on the enemy. Al Qa’ida is all over the world. Their goals are clear – establish a Caliphate that goes from the Atlantic in North Africa to Indonesia in the Pacific. Fifty years after this happens, their goal is to rule the rest of the world.
Al Qa’ida has no beliefs that they can defeat us militarily. They see our center of gravity as being the will of the American people which is influenced daily by the media. Al Qa’ida does not need to win any battles. Their plan is to keep the casualties in front of the American people in the media for long enough that we become convinced that we cannot win and leave the region.
Our strategy and battle against al Qa’ida will not be primarily military. It will be political, economic, and ideological. We have a clear strategy that exploits the vulnerabilities of the enemy. Few anywhere in the world desires to live under their vision of the future. It is all of our responsibilities to highlight this fact. It is important for our people to know that we know how to win.
We are winning but must maintain constant pressure over time with the international community, across the US government, and throughout our public. Nobody is afraid that we can’t defeat the enemy. Our troops have the confidence, the courage, and the competence. We need the will of the American people to be sustained for long haul.
ECONOMY
SPEECH
SECURITY
It is a “Long War”-- but it is a war we can and must win

24. QUESTIONS?