Good afternoon. Today I accepted General Stanley McChrystal's resignation as commander of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan. I did so with considerable regret, but also with certainty that it is the right thing for our mission in Afghanistan, for our military, and for our country. 下午好。今天，我接受了斯坦利·麦克里斯特尔将军辞去驻阿富汗国际安全援助部队司令一职的请求。我对此深感遗憾，但也确信，这对于我们在阿富汗的使命、对我们的军队、对我们的国家而言，都是正确的选择。
I'm also pleased to nominate General David Petraeus to take command in Afghanistan which will allows us to maintain the momentum and leadership that we need to succeed. 我也很高兴提名戴维·彼得雷乌斯将军接任驻阿富汗指挥权，这将使我们能够保持取得胜利所需的势头和领导力。
I don't make this decision based on any difference in policy with General McChrystal, as we are in full agreement about our strategy. Nor do I make this decision out of any sense of personal insult. Stan McChrystal has always shown great courtesy and carried out my orders faithfully. I've got great admiration for him and for his long record of service in uniform. 我做出这一决定，并非因为与麦克里斯特尔将军在政策上存在分歧，因为我们在战略上完全一致。我也并非出于任何个人受辱之感而做出这一决定。斯坦·麦克里斯特尔始终以极大的敬意待我，并忠实地执行我的命令。我对他在军旅生涯中长期作出的贡献怀有深深的钦佩。
Over the last nine years, with America fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, he has earned a reputation as one of our nation's finest soldiers. That reputation is founded upon his extraordinary dedication, his deep intelligence and his love of country. I've relied on his service, particularly in helping to design and lead our new strategy in Afghanistan. So all Americans should be grateful for General McChrystal's remarkable career in uniform. 在过去九年里，随着美国在伊拉克和阿富汗作战，他赢得了我国最优秀军人之一的美誉。这一声誉建立在他非凡的奉献精神、深邃的智慧和对他祖国的热爱之上。我曾倚重他的服务，特别是在帮助制定和领导我们在阿富汗的新战略方面。因此，所有美国人都应当感谢麦克里斯特尔将军在军旅中非凡的服役生涯。
But war is bigger than any one man or woman, whether a private, a general or a president. And as difficult as it is to lose General McChrystal, I believe that it is the right decision for our national security. 但是，战争比任何一个人都更为重大，无论是一名列兵、一位将军，还是一位总统。尽管失去麦克里斯特尔将军令人痛惜，但我相信，这是关乎我国国家安全的正确决定。
The conduct represented in the recently published article does not meet the standard that should be set by a commanding general. It undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system. And it erodes the trust that's necessary for our team to work together to achieve our objectives in Afghanistan. 最近发表的那篇文章中所反映的行为，未达到一位指挥官应当具备的标准。它损害了文官统军这一我国民主制度的核心原则。它也侵蚀了我们团队为实现阿富汗目标而协同工作所必需的信任。
My multiple responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief led me to this decision. First, I have a responsibility to the extraordinary men and women who are fighting this war and to the democratic institutions that I've been elected to lead. I've got no greater honor than serving as commander-in-chief of our men and women in uniform. 作为总司令的多重职责促使我做出了这一决定。首先，我对正在这场战争中战斗的卓越男女军人，以及我所受命领导的民主制度负有责任。担任我国男女军人的总司令，是我至高无上的荣耀。
And it is my duty to ensure that no diversion complicates the vital mission that they are carrying out. That includes adherence to a strict code of conduct. The strength and greatness of our military is rooted in the fact that this code applies equally to newly enlisted privates and to the general officer who commands them. That allows us to come together as one. That's part of the reason why America has the finest fighting force in the history of the world. 我也有责任确保任何干扰都不会使他们在执行的关键任务复杂化。这包括严格遵守行为准则。我国军队的力量与伟大，根植于这一准则同样适用于新入伍的列兵和统率他们的将官。正是这一点使我们能够团结如一。这也是美国拥有世界历史上最精锐作战力量的部分原因。
It is also true that our democracy depends upon institutions that are stronger than individuals. That includes strict adherence to the military chain of command and respect for civilian control over that chain of command. And that's why as commander-in-chief I believe this decision is necessary to hold ourselves accountable to standards that are at the core of our democracy. 同样正确的是，我们的民主依赖于比个人更为强大的制度。这包括严格遵守军事指挥链，以及尊重文官对这一指挥链的控制。正因如此，作为总司令，我相信这一决定是必要的，以使我们对自己负责，捍卫那些构成我国民主核心的标准。
Second, I have a responsibility to do whatever is necessary to succeed in Afghanistan and in our broader effort to disrupt, dismantle and defeat Al Qaida. I believe that this mission demands unity of effort across our alliance and across my national security team. And I don't think that we can sustain that unity of effort and achieve our objectives in Afghanistan without making this change. That, too, has guided my decision. 其次，我有责任尽一切必要努力，在阿富汗取得成功，并在更广泛的范围内瓦解、击溃并击败基地组织。我相信，这一使命要求我们整个联盟以及整个国家安全团队齐心协力。我认为，如果不做出这一改变，我们将无法维持这种合力，也无法实现我们在阿富汗的目标。这一点同样指引了我的决定。
I've just told my national security team that now is the time for all of us to come together. Doing so is not an option but an obligation. I welcome debate among my team, but I won't tolerate division. All of us have personal interests. All of us have opinions. Our politics often fuels conflict. But we have to renew our sense of common purpose and meet our responsibilities to one another, and to our troops who are in harm's way and to our country. 我刚才已告诉我的国家安全团队，现在是我们所有人团结起来的时候。这样做不是一种选择，而是一种义务。我欢迎团队内部的辩论，但我不会容忍分裂。我们每个人都有个人利益。我们每个人都有自己的看法。我们的政治常常激化冲突。但我们必须重新确立共同的目标感，履行我们对彼此、对身处险境的将士、对国家应尽的责任。
We need to remember what this is all about. Our nation is at war. We face a very tough fight in Afghanistan. But Americans don't flinch in the face of difficult truths or difficult tasks. We persist and we persevere. We will not tolerate a safe haven for terrorists who want to destroy Afghan society from within and launch attacks against innocent men, women and children in our country and around the world. 我们需要记住这一切究竟是为了什么。我们的国家正处于战争之中。我们在阿富汗面临着一场艰苦的战斗。但美国人不会在艰难的真相或艰巨的任务面前退缩。我们坚持不懈，我们百折不挠。我们绝不容忍恐怖分子建立避风港，他们企图从内部摧毁阿富汗社会，并对我国及世界各地的无辜男女老幼发动袭击。
So make no mistake, we have a clear goal. We are going to break the Taliban's momentum. We are going to build Afghan capacity. We are going to relentlessly apply pressure on Al Qaida and its leadership, strengthening the ability of both Afghanistan and Pakistan to do the same. That's the strategy that we agreed to last fall. That is the policy that we are carrying out in Afghanistan and Pakistan. 因此，切勿误解，我们有着明确的目标。我们要打破塔利班的势头。我们要建设阿富汗的能力。我们要对基地组织及其领导层施加无情的压力，同时加强阿富汗和巴基斯坦自身应对他们的能力。这就是我们去年秋天一致达成的战略。这就是我们正在阿富汗和巴基斯坦实施的政策。
In that effort, we are honored to be joined by allies and partners who have stood by us and paid the ultimate price through the loss of their young people at war. They are with us because the interests and values that we share, and because this mission is fundamental to the ability of free people to live in peace and security in the 21st century. 在这一努力中，我们很荣幸能与盟友和伙伴并肩作战，他们与我们站在一起，并通过在战争中失去自己年轻的儿女付出了最沉重的代价。他们与我们同行，是因为我们共享的利益和价值观，也是因为这一使命对于自由人民在21世纪能否生活在和平与安全之中至关重要。
And General Petraeus and I were able to spend some time this morning discussing the way forward. I'm extraordinarily grateful that he has agreed to serve in this new capacity. It should be clear to everybody he does so at great personal sacrifice to himself and to his family. And he is setting an extraordinary example of service and patriotism by assuming this difficult post. 今天上午，彼得雷乌斯将军和我有时间讨论了前方的道路。我非常感谢他同意担任这一新职务。大家都应该清楚，他这样做对自己和家庭都作出了巨大的个人牺牲。他以承担这一艰难职位树立了服务和爱国主义的非凡典范。
Let me say to the American people, this is a change in personnel, but it is not a change in policy. General Petraeus fully participated in our review last fall. And he both supported and helped design the strategy that we have in place. 我要对美国人民说，这是人事上的更替，但不是政策上的改变。彼得雷乌斯将军去年秋天全程参与了我们的战略评估。他既支持也协助设计了我们现在正在实施的战略。
In his current post at Central Command, he was worked closely with our forces in Afghanistan; he has worked closely with Congress; he has worked closely with the Afghan and Pakistan governments, and with all our partners in the region. He has my full confidence. And I am urging the Senate to confirm him for this new assignment as swiftly as possible. 在他目前担任的中央司令部职务上，他曾与我们在阿富汗的部队密切合作；他曾与国会密切合作；他曾与阿富汗和巴基斯坦政府以及我们在该地区的所有伙伴密切合作。我对他充满信心。我也敦促参议院尽快确认他担任这一新职务。
Let me conclude by saying that it was a difficult decision to come to the conclusion that I've made today. Indeed, it saddens me to lose the service of a soldier who I've come to respect and admire. But the reasons that led me to this decision are the same principles that have supported the strength of our military and our nation since the founding. So, once again, I thank General McChrystal for his enormous contributions to the security of this nation and to the success of our mission in Afghanistan. 最后，我要说，做出今天的结论是一个艰难的决定。事实上，失去一位我已深为敬重的军人的服务，令我感到难过。但促使我做出这一决定的原因，正是自建国以来支撑我国军队和国家力量的同一原则。因此，我再次感谢麦克里斯特尔将军为我国安全以及在阿富汗使命的成功所作出的巨大贡献。
I look forward to working with General Petraeus and my entire national security team to succeed in our mission. And I reaffirm that America stands as one in our support for the men and women who defend it. 我期待与彼得雷乌斯将军以及我整个国家安全团队合作，共同完成我们的使命。我重申，美国作为一个整体，坚定支持捍卫这个国家的男女军人。
Thank you very much. 非常感谢。