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This is A Closer Look--A Talk With General O, Part 2.
From Iraq, I'm Gail McCabe.
You've been involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom
for going on just about four years.
What do you think about that?
I never thought I'd be spending 50 months
in Iraq when we first came in in 2003--
I will say that.
I was here from the initial invasion, then through the buildup of sectarian violence,
and then the surge of forces when we came in and protected the population.
And now we're into a process where we've been fairly successful at that,
we've reduced violence, and now we're trying to give them the security depth,
the economic depth, the diplomatic depth, for them now to carry on
as a stable country contributing to regional stability.
I've been to Iraq enough times to know that nothing is as simple as it seems.
This is a complex place,
and it takes complex thought, it takes complex solutions to solve problems here.
What I'm most proud of is our young leaders who have adapted over time,
who have learned about how to be successful,
and who have learned that you have to use all of the tools available to you,
using what we call unity of effort,
understanding what the US embassy brings,
understanding what the United Nations brings,
understanding what nongovernmental organizations bring,
and how do you coordinate all that to go in one direction for us to be successful.
And they've learned how to do that; they've gotten much better at it.
As you look back at the time that you've spent here,
what do you see as the legacy of Operation Iraqi Freedom?
What I hope the legacy to be is back in 2005 and '06
when many people believed there was no way that Iraq would ever be successful,
that our military leaders, our young men and women,
were able to adapt, adjust, overcome, and change the outcome.
We won't know what that outcome is for another five to ten years
because it will be how Iraq integrates itself regionally and internationally
that will ultimately determine success.
But we've given them that opportunity.
It's been announced that you're taking a new job at the end of summer,
and while it's not official yet, let me ask.
If there is one lesson that you would take from this experience to a new job,
to a place like, say, Joint Forces Command, what would that be?
It's the term I used just a minute ago--unity of effort.
It's how do you achieve unity of effort.
How do you achieve unity of effort between the Air Force, the Marine Corps,
the Army, the US Embassy, the nongovernmental organizations,
United Nations, all of these things that are operating out wherever we might be.
And how do you use those things in order to--what I always say--answer the question why.
And if we figure out why something happened,
then you can come up with the right solution using these tools to solve that problem.
And that's what I want to bring to wherever I go.
I saw you today with soldiers. Is that what it's all about?
That's why after 34 years I'm still doing this.
It's because of those young men and women who keep me young, for one thing,
but just inspire me every single day by their actions, by their love of their country,
and by what they want to try to accomplish.
And that's what makes this job one of the best jobs around, as far as I'm concerned.
[McCabe] General O, has it been worth it--all the bloodshed, the effort,
the resources, the anguish?
I think we have an opportunity in Iraq that we might never get again.
We have the opportunity to have it where it will add to stability in the Middle East,
have a country that will have a long-term partnership with the United States,
have a country that could develop economically, diplomatically,
to really integrate itself in causing this region to become more stable.
And if that happens, I believe it's been worth it
because I think it could bring stability here for a long time.
Do you think we're ready for Operation New Dawn?
I think we are. I'm confident that we are.
And frankly, the missions we're doing today are the same missions we'll do
on 1 September when Operation New Dawn starts.
We are already into stability operations.
So the difference is we're going to do it with 50,000 instead of 95,000.
And as I've seen the development of the Iraqi Security Forces,
I believe they are ready to take over more responsibility.
So if there was a message that you would want to send to the people of America
about what's taking place here in Iraq, what would that be?
They have to understand what a great military we have,
one that is so broad and one that will do whatever is asked of them by their country
to help bring peace and stability around the world.
I think they are a great generation for their sacrifices--their multiple deployments.
So I ask everyone to recognize that.
These young men and women are the best military in the world.
The important part is we use them right to bring peace and stability around the world.
And I think we've done that.
[♪upbeat music♪] That's A Closer Look.