Sec. of Defense visits Bragg ahead of troop deployment
FORT BRAGG (WTVD) -- Secretary of Defense Ash Carter toured Fort Bragg and met with dozens of soldiers from Fort Bragg's 18th Airborne Corps, who will soon be deployed to Kuwait. He warned the unit that the mission ahead of them will be dangerous.
"Nobody should be in any doubt that forces who are participating in this campaign are at risk in spite of the strategic approach," Carter said. "I assure you, you will get what you need to succeed."
There are 450 soldiers heading to the Middle East. They'll join Iraqi ally forces to fight ISIS.
Carter says he has tremendous confidence in the command team that is taking over the war.
"The United States and the 18th Airborne Corps will be critical," Carter said. "Destroying the fact and the idea of an Islamic State, based on ISIS's barbaric ideology, will not be easy. The more ground ISIS losses in Iraq and Syria, the more they'll do whatever it takes to cling to their perverse veil of legitimacy and power."
Carter, whose power over the military is second to the President, took time to meet every single soldier at a Town Hall meeting. He gave each a medal coin. It was a token of his appreciation.
"It really shows the Secretary's concern," Maj. Harold Morris said.
"Very rarely does a soldier get to meet his higher chain of commander," said Col. Samuel Hall. "It meant a lot to the soldiers and the leaders here, just to have that contact. For him to take the time out of his schedule to come down and to explain to us, the ones who are going, why we need to go, is important."
The unit is going to Kuwait in early August and will spend a year embedded with coalition forces.
