Mullen Outlines Priorities

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he will continue to place emphasis on the U.S. military providing security to a vast region stretching from Lebanon and Iran in the Middle East to Afghanistan and Pakistan in the Near East, in conjunction with efforts by the State Department and other government agencies, to establish lasting peace. Also high on Mullen’s list of challenges: Moving ahead with expansion of the Marine Corps and Army, to provide relief to overly stressed combat troops in those services within the next 18 to 24 months; and continuing to care for service members who are wounded or suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as the families of those who died in action. Mullen outlined his goals and priorities in a May 18 speech at the Brookings Institution, a Washington, D.C., think tank.