Military Action Quotes:

A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader, but becomes one by the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent.

- Douglas MacArthur

topic: Inspirational, Leadership, Integrity, Making Tough Decisions, True Leader

Even limited military actions end up carrying with them great costs and unintended consequences.

- Barack Obama

source: Interview with Steve Inskeep, www.npr.org. August 10, 2015.

topic: Military, Cost, Action, Military Action, Unintended Consequences

Having strength, having a strong military, is the ally of peace. Exercising that strength through military action is not always necessary if you have the confidence and clarity of vision and purpose which America demands.

- Mitt Romney

topic: Strong, Military, Exercise, Military Action, Clarity Of Vision

Military action without politics is like a tree without a root.

- Ho Chi Minh

topic: Military, Roots, Tree, Military Action

Declarations of war have never been a constitutional requirement for military action abroad.

- John Yoo

source: Source: www.guernicamag.com

topic: Military, War, Requirements, Military Action, Declaration Of War

The United States is a violent military state. It's been involved in military action all over the place.

- Noam Chomsky

source: "Chomsky: Instead of “Illegal” Threat to Syria, U.S. Should Back Chemical Weapons Ban in All Nations". "Democracy Now!" with Amy Goodman, www.democracynow.org. September 11, 2013.

topic: Military, United States, Action, Military Action

It [military action on Iraq] makes me feel ashamed to come from the United States. It is humiliating.

- Jessica Lange

topic: Military, Iraq, United States, Military Action

No candidate can win a presidential race advocating gay marriage and opposing the military action in Iraq.

- Dick Morris

source: "Dean is a driving force in chasing faithful away". Dick Morris, The Daily Courier, July 31, 2003.

topic: Military, Pride, Gay, Military Action

If you live in Israel and you see the way life is there and then you go abroad and see the way Israel is reported on, the way that Israel gets reported on night after night is simply pictures of bombings or military actions.

- Douglas J. Feith

topic: Military, Night, Israel, Military Action

It is the duty of any president, in the final analysis, to defend this nation and dispel the security threat. Saddam Hussein has brought military action upon himself by refusing for 12 years to comply with the mandates of the United Nations. The brave and capable men and women of our armed forces and those who are with us will quickly, I know, remove him once and for all as a threat to his neighbors, to the world, and to his own people, and I support their doing so.

- John F. Kerry

topic: Military, Men, Years, Military Action, Mandates

The U.S. has perverted the U.N. weapons process by using it as a tool to justify military actions, falsely so. ... The U.S. was using the inspection process as a trigger for war.

- Scott Ritter

topic: War, Military, Tools, Military Action, Inspection

There was in the House only one dissenting vote, from Barbara J. Lee, a Democrat from California, who warned that military action could not guarantee the safety of the country and that 'as we act, let us not become the evil we deplore.

- Chris Hedges

topic: Country, Military, California, Military Action

So while I will never minimize the costs involved in military action, I am convinced that a failure to act in Libya would have carried a far greater price for America.

- Barack Obama

source: Remarks by the President in Address to the Nation on Libya, National Defense University, Washington, D.C., obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. March 28, 2011.

topic: Military, America, Cost, Military Action, Failure To Act

America must always lead on the world stage. If we don't, no one else will. The military that you have joined is, and always will be, the backbone of that leadership. But U.S. military action cannot be the only - or even primary - component of our leadership in every instance. Just because we have the best hammer does not mean that every problem is a nail.

- Barack Obama

source: Remarks by the President at the United States Military Academy Commencement Ceremony, obamawhitehouse.archives.gov. May 28, 2014.

topic: Graduation, Military, Mean, Military Action

There are some militarists who say: ‘We are not interested in politics but only in the profession of arms.’ It is vital that these simple-minded militarists be made to realize the relationship that exists between politics and military affairs. Military action is a method used to attain a political goal. While military affairs and political affairs are not identical, it is impossible to isolate one from the other.

- Mao Zedong

source: "On Guerrilla Warfare".

topic: Military, Simple, Goal, Military Action

It will take time to eradicate a cancer like Isil. And any time we take military action, there are risks involved - especially to the servicemen and women who carry out these missions. But I want the American people to understand how this effort will be different from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It will not involve American combat troops fighting on foreign soil.

- Barack Obama

source: Source: www.realclearpolitics.com

topic: Cancer, Military, War, Military Action, Islamic State

Air power can either paralyze the enemy's military action or compel him to devote to the defense of his bases and communications a share of his straitened resources far greater that what we need in the attack.

- Winston Churchill

topic: Military, Communication, Air, Military Action, Military Power

If military action in Iraq is launched without a new U.N. resolution, Canada will not participate.

- Jean Chretien

topic: Military, Iraq, Canada, Military Action

Dr. Rice's record on Iraq gives me great concern. In her public statements she clearly overstated and exaggerated the intelligence concerning Iraq before the war in order to support the President's decision to initiate military action against Iraq

- Carl Levin

topic: Military, War, Order, Initiate, Military Action

They [Republicans] assume that military action always shows strength, while avoiding military action always shows weakness. That's just crazy.

- Kevin Drum

topic: Crazy, Military, Weakness, Military Action

Military action is never the first thing that you jump to. You always look at other possibilities, including economic sanctions, tightening the screws.

- Benjamin Carson

source: Source: www.buzzfeed.com

topic: Military, Economic Sanctions, Looks, Military Action

The real threat to U.S. military power is nuclear proliferation, because if every little country has nuclear weapons it becomes very tricky for the United States to engage in military action.

- Immanuel Wallerstein

topic: Country, Real, Military, Proliferation, Military Action

Not every action requires military action. As a matter of fact, military action is the very last resort for us.

- George W. Bush

topic: Military, Matter, Lasts, Military Action

A strong foundation exists for immediate military action against Saddam Hussein and for a multilateral effort to rebuild Iraq after he is gone.

- George P. Shultz

topic: Military Action, Strong Foundation

The British Labour Party has always had a very strong "Atlanticist component," with an obsequiousness to American policies, and Blair represents this wing. He's clearly obsessed with Iraq. He has to be because the overwhelming majority of the people of Britain oppose a military action. I've never known a situation like it.

- John Pilger

source: Source: progressive.org

topic: Strong, Military, Party, Military Action, Very Strong

I do not support individual countries taking military action against another country because of its human rights record, or subsequently justifying taking such action on human rights grounds.

- Mary Robinson

source: Source: www.opendemocracy.net

topic: Country, Military, Rights, Military Action

I can think about what [Mahatma] Gandhi said or [Martin Luther] King said about violence begetting violence, and still be true to my job by asking myself the question whenever we're confronted with a situation where some may be arguing for military action: Will this actually result in America being safer, or the most lives being saved?

- Barack Obama

source: Source: www.theatlantic.com

topic: Kings, Jobs, Military, Military Action

One of the reasons why this country undertook military action in Iraq was that there are quite a few problems here, and perhaps attention needed to be deflected from those problems. It sometimes seems that the U.S. economy works successfully only if it gets a stimulus from the defense industry. So perhaps in addition to showing the power and the might of the United States internationally, another reason was to help the defense industry and to help the U.S. economy recover.

- Mikhail Gorbachev

source: Interview with Amitabh Pal, www.sharedhost.progressive.org. November 12, 2003.

topic: Country, Military, Iraq, Military Action

I do think that I have a better sense of how military action can result in unintended consequences.

- Barack Obama

source: Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

topic: Military, Thinking, Action, Military Action, Unintended Consequences

I can't accept collective responsibility for the decision to commit Britain now to military action in Iraq without international agreement or domestic support.

- Robin Cook

source: "Cook resigns from cabinet over Iraq" by Matthew Tempest, www.theguardian.com. March 17, 2003.

topic: Military, Responsibility, Agreement, Military Action, Collective Responsibility

The United States found dozens of billions of dollars for military action in Iraq, so it should certainly be able to find a few billions of dollars to get rid of weapons of mass destruction. I'll assume that since the most powerful nation - the United States - has promised to pay for much of this, then its word will be kept. If it isn't, I don't think we can have a true partnership.

- Mikhail Gorbachev

source: Interview with Amitabh Pal, www.sharedhost.progressive.org. November 12, 2003.

topic: Powerful, Military, Thinking, Military Action

The drones are really interesting - how have the troops withdrawn from Afghanistan? Because we've upped the drone strikes and most of the country doesn't even really know what that means or who we're killing or... it's such a new weapon that we don't know what the long term impacts of that kind of military action is going to be.

- Ethan Hawke

source: "Ethan Hawke Talks Regression" by Josh Lasser, www.ign.com. February 4, 2016.

topic: Country, Military, Mean, Military Action

I personally am not a total pacifist. I do believe there is such a thing as a just war. I believe, for instance, the effort to destroy the Nazi regime militarily was justified military action.

- Marianne Williamson

source: Source: rayhemachandra.com

topic: Military, War, Believe, Just War, Military Action

I think the vast majority of Americans would have supported military action to stop the second plane from hitting the World Trade Center, if that had been possible. I would have been among them.

- Marianne Williamson

source: Source: rayhemachandra.com

topic: Military, Thinking, Majority, Military Action, World Trade

The nature of encounter operations required of the commanders limitless initiative and constant readiness to take the responsibility for military actions.

- Georgy Zhukov

source: "The Military Quotation Book" by James Charlton, (p. 49), 2002.

topic: Military, Responsibility, Encounters, Military Action

I am encouraged President Obama now says he will fulfill his constitutional obligation to seek authorization for any potential military action in Syria. This is the most important decision any President or any Senator must make, and it deserves vigorous debate

- Rand Paul

topic: Military, Decision, Important, Military Action

U.S. military action in Iraq: It sure didn't work out well last time. Let's not make that mistake again.

- Alan Grayson

topic: Military, Mistake, Iraq, Military Action

Putting together a counter- terrorism policy, it's very easy to look at law enforcement or defense, military action or stopping the money flows or whatever, but the really difficult part is integrating all aspects of the policy, and I think she put a lot of emphasis on that.

- Lee H. Hamilton

topic: Military, Thinking, Law, Military Action, Counter Terrorism

Every dollar that we send in State Department aid or humanitarian aid that saves us from having to get involved with very expensive military actions is a good investment. And frankly, helping Israel fight terrorism in the Middle East is much cheaper than us fighting it here on our shores.

- Anthony Weiner

source: "The Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer, transcripts.cnn.com. January 27, 2011.

topic: Military, Fighting, Israel, Military Action, Humanitarian Aid

No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization.

- Vladimir Putin

source: "A Plea for Caution From Russia". www.nytimes.com. September 11, 2013.

topic: Country, Military, Real, Military Action, League Of Nations

But, as you have intimated, I am among those who would be very wary of any military action in the light of Saddam Hussein's willingness to allow the weapons inspectors to go in.

- George Carey

source: "Archbishop of Canterbury speaks out". "The Religion Report" with Stephen Crittenden, www.abc.net.au. September 25, 2002.

topic: Military, Light, Would Be, Military Action

The authorization I propose would provide the flexibility to conduct ground combat operations in other more limited circumstances, such as rescue operations involving U.S. or coalition personnel or the use of special operations forces to take military action against ISIL leadership, it would also authorize the use of U.S. forces in situations where ground combat operations are not expected or intended, such as intelligence collection and sharing, missions to enable kinetic strikes or the provision of operational planning and other forms of advice and assistance to partner forces.

- Barack Obama

source: "Obama opens door to 'limited' ground combat operations against ISIS", www.foxnews.com. February 11, 2015.

topic: Leadership, Military, Advice, Special Operations, Military Action

The war against Russia is an important chapter in the German nation's struggle for existence. [...] The objective of this battle must be the demolition of present-day Russia and must therefore be conducted with unprecedented severity. Every military action must be guided in planning and execution by an iron resolution to exterminate the enemy remorselessly and totally. In particular, no adherents of the contemporary Russian Bolshevik system are to be spared.

- Franz Halder

topic: War, Military, Struggle, Military Action, Struggle For Existence

I found it peculiar that those who wanted to take military action could - with 100 per cent certainty - know that the weapons existed and turn out to have zero knowledge of where they were.

- Hans Blix

source: "Iraq Invasion Violated International Law: Blix". www.smh.com.au. August 07, 2003.

topic: Zero, Military, Peculiar, Military Action

Most US presidents since World War II have led military actions without a declaration of war by Congress, though most, if not all, have properly consulted and sought support from Congress. That is the wise thing to do.

- Donald Rumsfeld

topic: Wise, Military, War, Military Action, Declaration Of War

We cannot simply speak out against an escalation of troops in Iraq, we must act to prevent it... There can be no doubt that the Constitution gives Congress the authority to decide whether to fund military action, and Congress can demand a justification from the president for such action before it appropriates the funds to carry it out.

- Edward Kennedy

topic: Military, Iraq, Giving, Military Action, Escalation

The Germans gathered together ethnic divisions from all over Europe in which men of the same linguistic and cultural background could serve together. The Georgian SS division conducted itself with distinction in normal military action, but a good many people seem to think that anybody who was ever a member of the SS was automatically a war criminal.

- Jeff Cooper

source: "Jeff Cooper's Commentaries", Vol. 1, No. 6, September 1993.

topic: Military, War, Men, Military Action, Georgians

To be deeply committed to negotiations, to be opposed to a particular war or military action, is not only considered unpatriotic, it also casts serious doubt on one's manhood.

- Myriam Miedzian

source: Myriam Miedzian (2002). “Boys Will Be Boys: Breaking the Link Between Masculinity and Violence”, p.71, Lantern Books

topic: Military, War, Doubt, Military Action, Unpatriotic

Reparations - not just aid - should be provided by those responsible for devastating Iraqi civilian society by cruel sanctions and military actions, and - together with other criminal states - for supporting Saddam Hussein through his worst atrocities and beyond. That is the minimum that honesty requires.

- Noam Chomsky

source: "How can America get out of Iraq?" by Noam Chomsky, Jonathan Schell, Howard Zinn, William Polk, www.theguardian.com. May 12, 2004.

topic: Honesty, Military, Together, Military Action, Reparations