Civilian Quotes

We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded.
Barack Obama

Strong, Powerful, Cannot

You've got to forget about this civilian. Whenever you drop bombs, you're going to hit civilians.
Barry Goldwater

Forget, Hit, Whenever

The Secretary of Defense is not a super General or Admiral. His task is to exercise civilian control over the Department for the Commander-in-Chief and the country.
Donald Rumsfeld

Control, Country, Exercise

When cutting staff at the Pentagon, don't eliminate the thin layer that assures civilian control.
Donald Rumsfeld

Control, Thin, Cutting

The administration says, then, there are no downsides or upsides to treating terrorists like civilian criminal defendants, but a lot of us would beg to differ.
Sarah Palin

Says, Criminal, Treating

Maybe the answer to Selective Service is to start everyone off in the army and draft them for civilian life as needed.
Bill Vaughan

Life, Start, Everyone

As a 22-year Army Veteran who served in Operations Desert Storm and Iraqi Freedom, and as a Civilian Advisor to the Afghan Army in Operation Enduring Freedom, I understand both the gravity of giving the order, and the challenge of carrying it out.
Allen West

Freedom, Giving, Understand

I just felt from personal observation that there is nothing more dislocated or alienated than a lifelong military person trying to cope in civilian life. It's like two completely separate planets.
Lee Child

Life, Nothing, Person

Twenty-five million veterans are living among us today. These men and women selflessly set aside their civilian lives to put on the uniform and serve us.
Steve Buyer

Women, Men, Today

As a civilian during the Second War, I was exposed to danger in circumstances which removed any distinction between the man in and the man out of uniform.
Lester B. Pearson

War, Between, Second

Unfortunately, in war, there are casualties, including among the civilian population.
John O. Brennan

War, Among, Population

We want to look at how we would respond because, as hard as we work to prevent terrorist attacks here North America, if we have a catastrophic terrorist attack, it is the military that is going to have to go in at the request of civilian authorities.
Paul Cellucci

Work, Hard, America

I think you also understand that one of the key things that's got to be done in Iraq is to build a mentality of understanding that the military needs to be subordinate to civilian control and respectful of its own people.
John Abizaid

Done, Control, Understand

There is no reason for a civilian to have an automatic weapon.
Michael Nutter

Reason, Weapon, Automatic

You can't really escape the fact that more reasonable gun regulations and procedures need to be in place, a strengthening and tightening of the national background check system. I don't know why any civilian would ever be able to purchase an assault weapon or the parts that go with it.
Michael Nutter

Why, Place, Able

What is and isn't justified by military necessity is, naturally, open to interpretation. One of the key concepts, though, is the law of proportionality. A military attack that results in civilian casualties - 'collateral damage' - is acceptable as long as the military benefits outweigh the price that is paid by humanity.
Sebastian Junger

Long, Humanity, Law

The combat environment has the effect of flattening out civilian identities. If you're young or old, or a graduate from Harvard or the son of a farmer from Alabama, or if you're gay or straight or good-looking or ugly: none of those things matters much in combat, as long as you can conform to the group expectations.
Sebastian Junger

Gay, Long, Young

A total of 1,580 people, the civilian population, suffered as a result of the bloody wave of terrorist acts that swept over Moscow and other towns and villages of our country.
Boris Yeltsin

Country, Result, Population

When it comes to civilian deaths, violent hostilities play no favorites.
John Conyers

Play, Violent, Favorites

Mr. Chairman, the price for continuing this war is too high, not only in budgetary terms, but in American lives, Iraqi civilian casualties blamed on America and in the steady increase in the terrorist ranks that this war is provoking around the globe.
John Conyers

War, America, Around

For decades, the violence in the Middle East has claimed a multitude of innocent civilian victims: Men, women and children, Arab and Israeli.
John Conyers

Women, Men, Children

As in any war, there have been dreadful mistakes and civilian casualties. The difference is when Israelis kill innocents they apologize; when Hezbollah kills innocents they celebrate.
J. D. Hayworth

War, Mistakes, Difference

I'm a civilian, a citizen.
David Remnick

Nonetheless, Article 5 makes clear that if an Iraqi civilian who is not a member of the armed forces, has engaged in attacks on Coalition forces, the Geneva Convention permits the use of more coercive interrogation approaches to prevent future attacks.
John Yoo

Future, Makes, Clear

It has never demonstrated any desire to provide humane treatment to captured Americans. If anything, the murders of Nicholas Berg and Daniel Pearl declare al Qaeda's intentions to kill even innocent civilian prisoners.
John Yoo

Desire, Innocent, Intentions

Al Qaeda operates by launching surprise attacks on civilian targets with the goal of massive casualties. Our only means for preventing future attacks, which could use WMDs, is by acquiring information that allows for pre-emptive action.
John Yoo

Future, Goal, Means

For those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, we are grateful that such men and women were among us. For those who continue to serve, we honor their commitment. For those who return to civilian life, we honor their service.
Steve Buyer

Life, Women, Men

The conduct of President Bush's war of choice has been plagued with incompetent civilian leadership decisions that have cost many lives and rendered the war on and occupation of Iraq a strategic policy disaster for the United States.
John Olver

Leadership, War, Decisions

I think on civilian casualties they could do more. It's actually something I've discussed with the editors involved. They're aware of it, and I'm hopeful that there will be more reporting on that.
Daniel Okrent

Actually, Hopeful, Involved

Every civilian's death diminishes us, collectively.
David Petraeus

Death, Diminishes

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