I think this hearing today is extremely timely, with the American people needing to hear from you on what is really going on over there on the ground.

If we don't want that and we want to succeed in the mission... well, then how do we do that?

Being in a better position in Afghanistan is still finding yourself in a very difficult spot.

We have made significant progress in achieving our goal in Afghanistan to 'disrupt, dismantle, and eventually defeat Al Qaeda and to prevent its return to either Afghanistan or Pakistan.'

We have to transition to Afghan sovereignty as quickly as we responsibly can.

It is my belief that it is time to lean forward on transitioning the responsibility for security to the Afghan National Security Forces and the Afghan government.

I look forward to your testimony and insights into the challenges and way forward in Afghanistan.

These decisions by the President have made it increasingly difficult to build up trust and confidence with the Afghan institutions.

Nobody on this committee, nobody in this country wants a permanent presence in Afghanistan.

If there is one demonstrable historical truth, it is that foreign forces in Afghanistan are destabilizing over time.

We cannot simply walk away from Pakistan. We need to find a way to make that relationship work.

It is critical, therefore, that our special operations forces are fully resourced.