In the face of cruelty, we must live with empathy and compassion.

Elie Wiesel was one of the great moral voices of our time and, in many ways, the conscience of the world.

We can finally say to so many of our military families, when you move, you'll no longer be forced to put the career you love on hold just because you and your family have chosen to serve this country.

This is a big step forward, but we're not done yet.

For the dead and the living, we must bear witness.

Take a look at joiningforces.gov to find out how you can serve the troops, veterans, and military families in your community.

As a matter of policy, the United States therefore routinely imposes certain heightened policy standards that are more protective than the requirements of the law of armed conflict that relate to the protection of civilians.

We must secure sustained and unimpeded humanitarian aid to Syrians in need.

The protection of civilians is fundamentally consistent with the effective, efficient, and decisive use of force in pursuit of U.S. national interests.

The 'near certainty' standard is the 'highest standard we can set.'

We will use force abroad to protect the American people consistent with our values and all applicable law.

Civilian casualties are a tragic and at times unavoidable consequence of the use of force in situations of armed conflict or in the exercise of a state's inherent right of self-defense.