Defense Secretary Leon Panetta yesterday told a group of reporters the United States was seeking to end combat operations in Afghanistan by the second half of 2013. It's not clear whether Panetta spoke out of turn, or whether reporters misinterpreted what he said. But today the Department of Defense released a statement by Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. John Kirby to "amplify" Panetta's words.
According to Kirby's statement, Panetta was speaking "in broad terms" when he told reporters U.S. forces would be able to transition from a combat mission to one of support and training by the end of 2013:
Kirby added that the Department of Defense has not changed any deployment schedules.
The statement continued:
Personally, I find it odd that a Pentagon spokesman has to "amplify" what his own boss said. What do you think?
