Rick Perry has been relatively silent on foreign policy, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
During the GOP debate Monday night, he said he believed that the U.S. should continue to have a "presence" in Afghanistan, but that it was time to start transitioning responsibility over to the Afghans.
"I agree with Gov. Huntsman when we talk about it's time to bring our young men and women home as soon -- and obviously as safely -- as we can," Perry said. "But it's really important for us to continue to have a presence there. I think the entire conversation about how do we deliver our aid to those countries -- and is it best spent with 100,000 military who have the target on their back in Afghanistan? I don't think so at this particular point in time."
"I think the best way for us to be able to impact that country is to make a transition to where that country's military is going to be taking care of their people," Perry continued. "Bring our young men and women home. And continue to help them build the infrastructure that we need, whether it's schools for young women like yourself or otherwise."
At last week's GOP debate in California, former Utah governor Jon Huntsman suggested it's time the country bring the remaining United States troops stationed in Afghanistan home.
"I think we've lost our confidence as a country," he explained. "I think we have had our innocence shattered. I think, ten years later, we look at the situation and we say, we have 100,000 troops in Afghanistan. This is not about nation-building in Afghanistan. This is about nation-building at home."
Huntsman continued, "Our core is broken. We are weak. We have got to strengthen ourselves. I say we've got to bring those troops home."