    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [January 10, 2002]
    [Pages 44-46]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks on Signing the Department of Defense and Emergency Supplemental
    Appropriations for Recovery from and Response to Terrorist Attacks on
    the United States Act, 2002, in Arlington, Virginia
    January 10, 2002

        The President. Thank you very much. At ease. [Laughter] I always
    love being introduced by a matinee television idol. [Laughter] Who would have thought it? [Laughter]
        Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. Not my
    wife.
        The President. Only his mother. [Laughter] Thanks so much, Mr.
    Secretary. He's doing a fabulous job.
        Secretary Rumsfeld. Thank you.
        The President.He really is. And so
    are the men and women who work in this building, and the men and women
    who wear the uniform. We're really proud of you.
        I'm honored to sign this bill because the Nation owes the men and
    women of the military our full measure of respect and our full measure
    of support. We owe you decent pay and a decent quality of life. We owe
    you the best leadership and training. We owe you the best equipment and
    weaponry. We owe you, our service men and women, our best, because we
    owe you our freedom.
        This bill, which includes both this year's defense appropriations
    and emergency supplemental spending, keeps the commitment to our
    military and keeps the commitments of our country. It was passed with
    bipartisan support in the Congress. It will be implemented by this fine
    Secretary, and a fine Deputy Secretary in
    Paul Wolfowitz.
        As Commander in Chief, I'm really proud to sign this bill here in
    the Pentagon. It shows that at an hour when freedom is under attack,
    America is steady and standing tall in freedom's defense. I too want to
    thank the Members of the United States Congress who are here,
    particularly Chairman Bill Young. Thank you,
    Mr. Chairman, for coming. Senator Dorgan, I
    appreciate you being here, sir. Rodney, thank you for coming, and Jim
    and George. I guess you're
    supposed to be formal with the Senate and informal with the House. But
    thank you all for taking time to be here. It's a kind gesture for you to
    come.
        I also want to thank the members of the Joint Chiefs and the
    leadership of our military who are on the stage with me here. Dick
    Myers is doing a fabulous job. He is
    steady; he is strong. He sends such an important signal throughout our
    military that we mean business, we're a no-nonsense group of people who
    have got one thing in mind, and that is victory.
        I remember talking about our plans with the Secretary and others in my administration. And as we set our
    plans, there was no question that our military was ready. The Secretary
    made that clear; Dick Myers made that
    clear; Hugh Shelton made that clear. And
    since September the 11th, the skill, the daring, and the courage of our

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    men and women in uniform is now clear to all. It's clear to your fellow
    Americans, and it's clear to those who try to hide in caves.
        We have liberated a nation from oppression, and we've saved many
    people from starvation. I like to remind my fellow Americans there is
    nothing more joyous to my heart than to see our military liberate women
    who have lived under the most oppressive regime in the history of
    mankind. This cause is noble, and this cause is just. And we will stay
    on this cause until we have achieved our objective. You're delivering
    justice--not revenge but justice--to agents of terror. And you're making
    this Nation proud.
        America recently has been reminded that in our quest to defend
    freedom--and really in our quest to save civilization--there are
    enormous sacrifices, and no more greater sacrifice than loss of life.
    And like the Secretary, I extend my
    prayers and sympathies to the moms and dads and the wives and sons and
    daughters of those who have lost their life. But as I told the young
    lady the other day when I called her, whose husband had died, I said,
    ``Please tell your children that he died for a just cause.'' Sacrifices
    are made willingly by volunteers. And having traveled our Nation a
    little bit, I can assure you, you're in the midst of a grateful people.
        In our global campaign against global terror, our military must have
    every resource, every tool, every weapon, and every advantage you need
    for the missions to come. The bill I'm about to sign makes a downpayment
    on an essential commitment: We will give our forces everything they need
    to defeat global terror. Overall, this year's defense bill provides
    nearly 30 billion more than the amount enacted for the fiscal year 2001.
    The emergency supplemental measure provides another 3.5 billion on top
    of that.
        Yet, even more important than these numbers are the priorities they
    represent. First of all, the bill contains funding for pay increases of
    up to 15 percent for service members, with an average increase of 6.9
    percent. The bill reduces out-of-pocket housing costs from 15 percent to
    11 percent and puts us on a track towards eliminating this burden
    altogether by the year 2005. In addition, the bill also fully funds the
    health care of active duty members and their families and provides 3.9
    billion for health care benefits for military retirees over 65 and their
    families.
        We can never pay our men and women in uniform on a scale that
    matches the magnitude of their sacrifice. But this bill reflects our
    respect for your selfless service.
        Today, more than ever, we also owe those in uniform the resources
    they need to maintain a very high state of readiness. Our enemies rely
    upon surprise and deception. They used to rely upon the fact that they
    thought we were soft. I don't think they think that way anymore.
        Our forces must be ready to deploy to any point on the globe on
    short notice. This bill increases operation and maintenance by over $8
    billion. This Nation must have and will have ready forces that can bring
    victory to our country and safety to our people.
        The world's best soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines also deserve
    the world's best weaponry. To ensure that, our Nation must invest in
    procurement accounts. This defense bill contains about $61 billion for
    procurement. This Nation must give our military the weapons it needs to
    meet the threats of our future. If the war against terror means that we
    must find terror wherever it exists and pull it out by its roots and
    bring people to justice, our military must have the means to achieve the
    objective.
        This bill is just the beginning to make sure that that happens. Our
    Nation must also look even farther into the future, so that the next
    generations of weaponry take advantage of our Nation's decisive
    technological edge. That's why I'm pleased to see that this year's
    defense bill contains almost

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    $50 billion for research and development, including nearly $8 billion
    for missile defense.
        My administration is committed to transforming our forces, with
    innovative doctrine and strategy and weaponry. This will allow us to
    revolutionize the battlefield of the future and to keep the peace by
    defining war on our terms. It's a great goal, and it's a great
    opportunity, one granted to few nations in history. And with the
    leadership of the Secretary, we will seize this opportunity.
        And finally, I'm pleased that the emergency supplemental funding in
    this bill is going to allow us to meet some of our urgent priorities. In
    addition to the 3.5 billion to help prosecute the war on terror, the
    bill contains 8.2 billion to help New York, Virginia, Maryland, the
    District of Columbia, and Pennsylvania recover from the attacks by the
    evil ones. It also devotes an additional 8.4 billion to homeland
    security.
        We're working hard to make sure that our homeland is secure. But the
    best way to secure America's future is to bring the terrorists to
    justice and to say to those who think they can hide them, ``You, too,
    are just as guilty as the murderers if you think you can hide them and
    provide them aid and provide them comfort.'' We will build the security
    of America by fighting our enemies abroad and protecting our folks here
    at home. And we are committed, this administration, and the Congress is
    committed to these most important goals.
        These are good bills that will help America in time of need. And I
    appreciate the spirit on Capitol Hill that led to its passage. I look
    forward to working with the Congress as we build our Nation's strength
    and security. I look forward to working for next year's budget, with the
    priorities of winning this war and defending our homeland. I'm confident
    that the spirit that prevailed in late fall will spill over into this
    year, as we continue to remember the great goals that face this Nation.
        It is now my honor, in the heart, in the headquarters of the
    greatest military in the world, to sign the Department of Defense and
    emergency supplemental appropriations act. Thank you all for your
    hospitality. Stay on course. Find the enemy. God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:25 p.m. in the auditorium, room 5A1070,
    at the Pentagon. In his remarks, he referred to Representatives Rodney
    P. Frelinghuysen, James P. Moran, and George R. Nethercutt, Jr.; and
    Gen. Henry H. Shelton, USA (Ret.), former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs
    of Staff. H.R. 3338, approved January 10, was assigned Public Law No.
    107-117.