"We have to confront terrorism," he said. "If we don't, no one else will.”
Panetta praised President Obama for taking the risk to terminate Osama bin Laden and "send a message to the world that no one attacks Americans and gets away with it." He added that he thought the president learned from his mistake when he drew a line in the sand with Syria over its use of chemical weapons and then failed to back up his threat.
Recalling his own years in the Army, Panetta said one of the benefits of military service was that he got to meet Americans from every part of the country and work together. Most congressmen in the post-World War II era had also served in the military, and he implied that this was one reason Congresses of that era were far more effective.
He suggested that if President Obama were to seriously press ahead with his plan for free community college, it should be accompanied by some sort of requirement for national service, though not necessarily in the military.