"We want our troops home. We want the Afghan people back in charge of their own security, back in charge of their own government."
"Nobody on this committee, nobody in this country wants a permanent presence in Afghanistan."
"If we don't want that and we want to succeed in the mission... well, then how do we do that?"
"We have to transition to Afghan sovereignty as quickly as we responsibly can."
"I look forward to your testimony and insights into the challenges and way forward in Afghanistan."
"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.'"
"Being in a better position in Afghanistan is still finding yourself in a very difficult spot."
"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."
"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."
"I look forward to hearing from General Mattis how his command is postured to respond to those challenges."
"It is critical, therefore, that our special operations forces are fully resourced."