    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [January 23, 2002]
    [Pages 105-107]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at a Reserve Officers Association Luncheon
    January 23, 2002

        Thank you all. At ease. [Laughter] I want to thank you all very much
    for such a warm welcome. It's an honor to be here, and it's an honor to
    receive the Minuteman Award. I'm in pretty good company: Scoop Jackson,
    Strom Thurmond, President Ford, President Reagan, and the best dad a guy
    could ever have.
        It's a high privilege to be here with the men and women of the
    Reserve Officers Association. For 80 years, you stood up for America and
    the people who wear its uniform. Today, many Reserve officers are on
    duty in our campaign against terror. Today, the Guard and Reserve are
    fighting a two-front war, one in Central Asia and one here at home. The
    Air Force Reserve alone has flown more than 3,000 sorties over
    Afghanistan and more than 800 sorties to protect American cities. In
    this hour of need, America is depending on our Reserve officers. You are
    not letting us down, and America is grateful.
        We're in a fight for freedom and for the security of the American
    people. We're in a fight for the values of civilization. And the
    terrorists, the evil ones who targeted America are learning something:
    They picked the wrong enemy. Whatever it takes, whatever it costs, this
    patient, this resolved Nation will win the first war of the 21st
    century.
        I want to thank Chip for
    his fine introduction and for picking me for the award. [Laughter] I see
    Secretary of the Army White is here. General
    Jumper is here. I'm sure I'm going to miss
    somebody. David Chu is here, and other
    members of one of the finest teams--one of the finest national security
    teams a President has ever put together. Thank you all for coming. And I
    appreciate the Reserve chiefs, as well. Thank you for your service to
    the country.
        You know, it has been 4\1/2\ months since September the 11th. It's
    been 4\1/2\ months since we've been attacked. Sometimes it seems like a
    long time. But one thing is for certain: When you think about the nature
    of the war we face, 4\1/2\ months is not a very long time. And yet,
    we've done a lot. We've accomplished a lot.
        One thing is for certain: This great Nation has risen to the
    challenge. One of the most brutal and repressive regimes ever, the
    Taliban, is now out of business. We've smoked members of Al Qaida out of
    their caves. We've destroyed their bunkers, and the global network of
    terrorists has seen the first glimpse of their fate.
        We've sent food and medical shipments to the suffering people of
    Afghanistan. We've helped them organize a new government that represents
    all the people. And this proud military and this great Nation has
    liberated people. We've liberated women and children who lived under the
    severe hand of the most repressive Taliban.
        And these gains are a tribute to the United States military. There
    were no doubt in my mind that when I unleashed our great military, our
    men and women would perform bravely. They have not let us down. Our
    military is relentless--I mean relentless--in pursuing the terrorists.
    And at the same time, we've shown great care in protecting innocent
    life.
        They serve with skill and dedication. Our commanders are patient;
    they're not restless. They know that they've got the backing of the
    administration and the American people; that I'm patient; the people are
    patient. We all know that we've entered a difficult phase in our first
    theater in the war against terror; that while, in the first couple of
    months, we saw great success on the ground, we're now on a manhunt, one
    person at a time. No matter how long it takes, no matter where we have
    to look,

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    our United States military will patiently and surely hunt down the
    murderers and killers and terrorists and bring them, one by one, to
    justice.
        Our fight against terrorism began in Afghanistan, but it's not going
    to end there. We still face a shadowy enemy who dwells in the dark
    corners of the Earth. Dangers and sacrifices lie ahead. Yet, America
    will not rest; we will not tire until every terrorist group of global
    reach has been found, has been stopped, and has been defeated.
        We have a special responsibility to defend freedom. And I accept
    that responsibility and so does our military and so do the American
    people. And I have the responsibility to prepare the Nation for all that
    lies ahead. Next week I will go before Congress to lay out my priorities
    for the coming year. There will be no room for misunderstanding. The
    most basic commitment of our Government will be the security of our
    country. We will win this war; we will protect our people; and we will
    work to renew the strength of our economy.
        Our first priority is the military. The highest calling to protect
    the people is to strengthen our military. And that will be the priority
    of the budget I submit to the United States Congress. Those who review
    our budget must understand that we're asking a lot of our men and women
    in uniform, and we'll be asking more of them in the future. In return,
    they deserve every resource, every weapon needed to achieve the final
    and full victory.
        My '03 budget calls for more than $48 billion in new defense
    spending. This will be the largest increase in defense spending in the
    last 20 years, and it includes another pay raise for the men and women
    who wear the uniform.
        We will invest in more precision weapons, in missile defenses, in
    unmanned vehicles, in high-tech equipment for soldiers on the ground.
    The tools of modern warfare are effective. They are expensive. But in
    order to win this war against terror, they are essential. Buying these
    tools may put a strain on the budget, but we will not cut corners when
    it comes to the defense of our great land.
        Another priority is to protect our people from future terrorist
    attacks. And so the second priority in my budget will be a major new
    increase in spending for homeland security. The Federal Government has
    already acted quickly to increase the number of sky marshals, to support
    the largest criminal investigation in U.S. history, to acquire
    antibiotics for large-scale treatment of anthrax, to deploy hundreds of
    Coast Guard cutters and aircraft and small boats to patrol ports, and to
    station 8,000 National Guardsmen in the Nation's airports.
        All this came in response to a sudden emergency. Now we must
    undertake a sustained strategy for homeland defense. In our next budget,
    we move forward to complete the hiring of 30,000 new Federal airport
    security workers. We will hire an additional 300 FBI agents to help
    fight the war on terror. We'll purchase new equipment to improve the
    safety of the mail and protect the men and women who deliver our mail.
    We'll begin a major program of research to combat the threat of
    bioterrorism. We'll modernize public health labs throughout the country,
    improving their capacity to detect and treat outbreaks of disease. We
    will ensure that State and local firemen and police and rescue workers
    are prepared for terrorism, and we will do more to secure our borders.
        The American people are on watch against future attacks, and so will
    their Government. The truth of the matter is, though, in order to fully
    secure America and our allies, those of us who love and defend freedom,
    in order to make sure we're safe in the long run, we must find the
    terrorists wherever they think they can hide and, as I like to say, get
    them.
        Another priority of the budget is to fight the recession and work on
    the economic security of our people. You know, our country is united
    when it comes to fighting

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    the war. We need to be united when it comes to battling recession, as
    well. It's time to set aside all the politics, all the posturing, and
    figure out how to take care of workers whose lives were affected because
    of the attacks on 9/11.
        But as we do so, always remember that people may want an
    unemployment check to help them through tough times, but what they
    really want is a permanent paycheck. And therefore, jobs ought to be the
    central core of any economic development plan that we can run out of the
    United States Congress.
        So when I submit my budget to the United States Congress, these will
    be my priorities. We've made our choices to match the great challenges
    and opportunities of our time. Our great challenge is to protect the
    American people. Our great opportunity is to advance the cause of
    justice and human dignity and freedom all across the world. In this
    cause, our military is showing the world America at its best.
        And so, on behalf of an entire nation, I want to say thanks to the
    men and women who wear our uniform, and thanks to the Reserve Officers
    Association for your sacrifices and your support of our great land.
        Thank you for having me, and may God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 1:23 p.m. in the Ballroom at the Washington
    Hilton. In his remarks, he referred to Col. Charles L. ``Chip''
    Holsworth, USAFR, national president, Reserve Officers Association; Gen.
    John P. Jumper, USAF, chief of staff, U.S. Air Force; and David S.C.
    Chu, Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness. The Office
    of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
    these remarks.