malls, or schools like sandy ook. citizenship demands a sense of common purpose. participation in the hard work of self-government. an obligation to serve our communities. and i know this chamber agrees that few americans give more to their country than our diplomats and the men and women of the nited states armed forces.

tonight buzz of the extraordinary troops and civilians who risk and lay down their lives to keep us free, the united states is more secure. when i took office, nearly 180,000 americans were serving in iraq and afghanistan. today, all our troops are out of iraq. more than 60,000 of our troops have already come home from afghanistan. with afghan forces now in the lead for their own security, our troops have moved to a support role. together with our allies we'll compete our mission there by the end of this year and america's longest war will finally be ver.

after 2014, we will support a unified afghanistan as it takes responsibility for its own future. if the afghan government signs a security agreement that we have negotiated, a small force of americans could remain in afghanistan with nato allies to carry out two narrow missions. training and assisting afghan forces and counterterrorism operations to pursue any remnants of al qaeda. while our relationship with afghanistan will change, one thing will not. our resolve that terrorists do not launch attacks against our country.

the fact is, that danger remains. when we put al qaeda's ore leadership on the path to defeat, a threat -- the threat has evolved as extremists take root all over the world. in yemen, somalia, iraq, we have to keep working with partners to disrupt and disable those networks. in syria, we'll support the opposition that rejects the agenda of terrorist networks. here at home, we'll keep strengthening our defenses and combat new threats like cyberattacks. as we reform our defense budget, we will have to keep faith with our men and women in uniform and invest in the capabilities they need to succeed in future issions.

we have to remain vigilant. i strongly believe our leadership and our security cannot depend on our outstanding military alone. as commander in chief, i have used force when needed to protect the american people and i will never hesitate to do so as long as i hold this office. but i will not send our troops into harm's way unless it is truly necessary, nor will i allow our sons and daughters to be mired in open-ended conflicts. we must fight the battles that need to be fought, not those that terrorists prefer from us, large-scale deployments that drain our strength and may ultimately feed extremists.

so even as we actively and aggressively pursue terrorist networks through more targeted efforts and by building the capacity of our foreign partners, america must move off a permanent war footing. that's why i've imposed limits on the use of drones, for we will not be safer if people abroad believe we strike within their countries without regard for consequences. that's why working with this congress, i will reform our surveillance programs because the vital works of our intelligence community depends on public confidence here and abroad that the privacy of ordinary people are not being violated. and with the afghan war ending, this needs to be the year congress lifts the remain

regular strixes on detainee transfers and close the prison at guantanamo bay. because we counter terrorism not just through intelligence and military actions but by remaining true to our constitutional ideals and setting an example for the rest of the world. you see, in a world of complex threats, our security, our leadership, depends on all elements of our power, including strong and principled diplomacy. american diplomacy has rallied more than 50 countries to prevent nuclear materials from falling into the wrong hands and allowed us to reduce our own reliance on cold war stockpiles. american diplomacy, backed by e threat of force is why chemical weapons are being eliminated. and we will continue to work

with the international community to usher in the future the syrian people deserve, a future free of dictatorship and fear. as we speak, american diplomacy is supporting israelis and palestinians that they engage in the difficult but necessary talks to end the conflict there, to achieve dignity and an independent state for palestinians and lasting peace and security for the state of israel a jewish state that knows america will always be at their ide. and it is american diplomacy, backed by pressure, that has halted the progress of iran's nuclear program and rolled back parts of that program for the very first time in a decade.

as we gather here tonight, iran has begun to eliminate its stockpile of higher levels of enriched uranium. it's not installing advanced centrifuges. unprecedented inspections help the world verify every day that iran is not building a bomb. and with our allies and partners, we're engaged in negotiations to see if we can peacefully achieve a goal we all share -- preventing iran from obtain agnew clear weapon. these negotiations will be difficult. they may not succeed. we are clear-eyed about iran's

support for terrorist organizations like hezbollah which threaten os our -- threatens our allies and we're clear about the mistrust between our nations, mistrust that cannot be wished away. but these negotiations don't rely on trust. any long-term deal we agree to must be based on verifiable action that convinces us and the international community that iran is not build agnew clear bomb. if john f. kennedy and ronald reagan could negotiate with the soviet union, then surely a strong and confident america can negotiate with less powerful adversaries today. the sanctions that we put in place help make this opportunity possible. but let me be clear. if this congress sends me a new sanctions bill now that

threatens to derail these talks, i will veto it. for the sake of our national security, we must give diplomacy a chance to succeed. if iran's leaders do not seize this opportunity, then i will be the first to call for more sanctions and stand ready to exercise all options to make sure iran does not build a nuclear weapon. fie ran's leaders do seize the chance, and we'll know soon enough, then iran could take an important step to rejoin the community of nations and we will have resolved one of the leading security challenges of our time ithout the risks of war. finally, let's remember that our leadership is defined not just by our defense against threats, but by the enormous

opportunities to do good and promote understanding around the globe. forge greater cooperation. expand new markets. free people from fear and want. and no one is better positioned to take advantage of those opportunities than america. our alliance with europe remains the strongest the world has ever known. from tu knee shah to burma, we're supporting those who are willing to do the hard work of building democracy. in ukraine, we stand for the principle that all people have the right to express themselves freely and peacefully. but they have a saying -- that they have a say in their country's future. across africa, we're bringing together businesses and governments to double access to electricity and help end extreme poverty. in the americas, we're building new ties with commerce but we're also expanding cultural and

educational exchanges among young people. and we will continue to focus on the asia-pacific where we support our allies, shape a future of greater security and prosperity, and extend a hand to those devastated by disaster. as we did in the philippines when our marines and civilians rushed to aid those battered by a typhoon. and who were greated with words like, we will never forget your kindness. and god bless america. we do these things because they help promote our long-term security. and we do them because we believe in the inherent dignity and equality of every human being, regardless of race or religion. creed or sexual orientation. next week, the world will see one expression of that commitment when team u.s.a. marches the rhett, white, and blue into olympic stadium and

rings home the gold. my fellow americans, no other country in the world does what we do. on every issue, the world turns to us. not simply because of the size of our economy or our military might, but because of the ideals we stand for. and the burdens we bear to advance them. no one knows this better than those who serve in uniform. as this time of war draws to a close, a new generation of heroes returns to civilian life. we'll keep slashing that backlog so our veterans receive the

benefits they earned and our wounded warriors receive the health care, including the mental health care, that they eed. we'll keep working to help all our veterans translate their skills and leadership into jobs here at home and we will all continue to join forces to honor and support our remarkable military families. let me tell you about one of those families i have come to know. hemsberg, an ey army ranger, on omaha beach on d-day.

along with some rangers, he walked me through the ceremony. he was a -- an impressive young man, an easy manner, sharp as a tack. we took some pictures, i told him to stay in touch. a few months later, on his 10th deployment he was nearly killed by a massive roadside bomb in his comrades found him face down in the canal face down . for months he laid in a coma. next time i met him, he couldn't speak. he could barely move. over the years, he has endured hours of surgeries, grueling rehab. he is still blind in one eye, still struggles on his left

side. but slowly, steadily, with the support of caregivers like his dad greg and the community around him, he has grown stronger, he has learned to speak again, stand again and walk again and walking toward the day when he can serve his country again. my recovery has not been easy, he says. nothing in life that's worth anything is easy. corey is here tonight and like the army he loves, like the america he serves, sergeant neverclass corey ramsburg gives up and he does not quit.

the president: my fellow americans, my fellow americans, men and women like corey remind us that america has never come easy. our freedom, our democracy have never been easy. sometimes we stumble. we make mistakes. we get frustrated or discouraged. but for more than 200 years, we have put those things aside and

placed our collective shoulder to the wheel of progress. to create and build and expand the possibilities of individual achievement, to free other nations from tyranny and fear. to promote justice and fairness and equality under the law so that the words set to paper by our founders are made real for every citizen. the america we want for our kids , a rising america where work is plentiful and prosperity is widely shared and opportunity lets us go as far as our dreams, none it of it is easy. and if we work together, if we summon what is best in us, the way corey summoned what is best in him, with our feet planted

intoy but our eyes looking the future. god bless you. and god bless the united states of america.

we need to come together as one because we are considered one nation under god and follow the leadership. we can see all the progress and stood of -- instead of digressing. rex share your thoughts with us. well over 1500 comments so far. you can join in on twitter. c-spanchat. graduated college in december. raising the minimum wage will do nothing but hurt our economy.

it will put more money into circulation thereby devaluing the dollar as it exists. causing prices to go up and putting our academy in a worse state than it is right now. we need to -- the president needs to get with people that are in industries that are actually working outside of the government, and the private sector to create and craft his policy so that it will help main -- instead of wall street. and from our twitter don. this from on our republican line, is

joining us from north carolina. good evening. caller: i have listened to many speeches and politicians ranting and raving. as far as i am concerned [inaudible] [indiscernible] host: we will be hearing from here in a moment or two. from florida. good evening. caller: i believe social issues should not be displayed on the state of the union. the economy [inaudible]

congress willat cooperate with everything that was outlined in the state of the union today. host: go ahead. guest: he was talking about us not depending on foreign oil. he did not ring up -- bring up the implications of issues in regards to drinking -- water issues in regards to drinking. host: thanks for the call. allison says i