In April of 2007, I made a trip to Afghanistan to visit with our troops and report to you on the progress of our efforts there. Late last week, I returned to the same area and once again had the privilege of visiting with our service men and women who are working around the clock to help protect all of us here at home.

I am pleased to report that I continue to be impressed by the strength of our military. Without a doubt, we have the most highly trained, best equipped and most prepared military personnel in the world. I am humbled by the dedication they have to their mission of keeping us safe and am sobered by the challenges they face each day.

Since my visit there in 2007, the situation has deteriorated significantly. The Taliban and Al Qaeda are rebuilding in this very hostile region with the single goal of destabilizing the Afghan government and developing a stronghold there that they may use as a base from which to grow and launch offenses against America and our allies. Clearly, the Taliban is a threat to our national security and we must do everything in our power to keep them from regaining a foothold there – first and foremost, we need to increase the number of troops there and make certain they have everything they need to succeed.

I believe firmly that this is the best means of protecting the United States and our people from terrorist attacks.

During my four days there, I also confirmed that we are not in this fight alone. A counterinsurgency plan is underway to recruit, train, advise, and partner with Afghan army forces working to protect the people of Afghanistan and support diplomatic efforts to develop a good government free of corruption.

I cannot overstate how critical the success of this mission is to our efforts there.

Congress must give strong consideration to the requests of our military leaders on the ground in Afghanistan. They are requesting an increase in troops to ensure the success of this counterinsurgency plan. We must provide every necessary resource to our troops to make certain this strategy is successful.

Today, I ask you to pause for a moment and reflect on the sacrifices our young people are making on our behalf and offer a prayer of thanks for their service to our country. They are genuine heroes.