    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book I)]
    [February 13, 2003]
    [Pages 169-173]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville
    February 13, 2003

        Thank you all very much. Admiral, thank
    you for that--for those kind words, and thanks for the warm welcome. I'm
    honored to be with the service men and women and families of the
    Jacksonville naval

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    community. I'm proud to be at Naval Station Mayport.
        Last August, the sailors and pilots of the ``Big John'' returned
    from 4 months in the North Arabian Sea, where you served in Operation
    Enduring Freedom. With your outstanding performance, you proved that
    ``Jack is back.'' [Laughter]
        Some of you here have served in the U.S.S. Enterprise battlegroup.
    You were among the first American ships in the Afghan theater. And when
    it came time to strike the terrorists in Afghanistan, you were ready on
    arrival. Together, the ``Big John'' and the ``Big E'' launched thousands
    of sorties from their decks, supporting coalition forces on the ground.
    You helped liberate the Afghan people. You defended the American people,
    and each and every one of you here has made America proud.
        The United States Navy carries the might and the mission of America
    to the farthest parts of this world. In this challenging period for our
    country, great tasks lie ahead for the Navy and for our entire military.
    And I know we can depend on you, because this United States military is
    second to none.
        I appreciate Admiral Natter for his
    leadership. I want to thank the Governor of Florida
    for his leadership too. [Laughter] He's doing everything just like his
    mother told him to. [Laughter] I'm listening to
    the same mother, I want you to know. [Laughter]
        I want to thank the members from the congressional delegation. Ander
    Crenshaw, who represents this district, I
    know he's a strong supporter of the military families living here in
    Jacksonville, and I appreciate John Mica coming
    as well. These are two Members of the United States Congress that I know
    I can count on when it comes to making sure this United States military
    is strong and ready.
        I want to thank State Senator Jim King and his
    wife, Linda, for being here today. I appreciate
    all the leadership from different battlegroups here--based here.
        Today when I landed on Air Force One, I met a fellow named Arden
    Battle. He is a machinist mate, senior chief,
    U.S. Navy. Let me tell you something. He represents the spirit of this
    military that makes me proud. Not only are we tough and good fighters,
    he leads hundreds of your fellow sailors into volunteering in the
    community in Jacksonville, Florida. He and others like him serve as a
    role model for young kids. He mentors. He and his group teach children
    how to read. He not only serves this country to keep the peace, he
    serves this country to be more compassionate for all of our citizens.
        My call to you is, a lot of people look up to you because you wear
    the uniform. Do your duty. Not only work hard to be a good soldier and
    sailor, but also love somebody like you'd like to be loved yourself.
        I want to thank Arden and all those of you
    who have heard a call to become involved in your neighborhoods and your
    communities to help somebody who hurts. America is a better place for
    your compassion and your love.
        I want to thank the other community leaders who are here. I want to
    thank those of you who support our military, but I'm particularly
    grateful to all the military families who are here with us today. Family
    members serve and sacrifice for our Nation. Each one of you knows that
    Navy life is rewarding, but it can be dangerous. It can be difficult.
    Every day our military families are putting America's interests first,
    and America thanks you.
        Across this great land, I hear it all the time: The people of this
    country admire our men and women in uniform. They're praying for you.
    They're concerned about you and your families. Our people in uniform and
    families deserve our gratitude, and you deserve our support.
        Last year I signed the largest increase in defense spending in a
    generation. Last

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    week I sent a budget to Congress with another significant increase in
    defense spending. Those who wear our uniform and their families deserve
    the best possible housing, the best possible pay, and the best possible
    training. With the support of this Congress, I will make sure that our
    military has every resource, every weapon, everything you need to defend
    America and to keep the peace.
        Across six decades, ever since World War II, Mayport has been
    providing the ``Finest Service to the Finest Fleet.'' This port has been
    home to generations of sailors who fought America's battles with
    distinction and courage. Now you're called to defend our freedom and to
    defend the security of America against a new kind of enemy.
        This enemy reaches across oceans. It targets the innocent. There are
    no rules of war for these coldblooded killers. They seek biological and
    chemical and nuclear weapons to commit murder on a massive scale. This
    enemy will not be restrained by mercy or by conscience. This enemy will
    be stopped, and it will be stopped by the might and will of the United
    States and our friends and our allies.
        The terrorists brought this war to us, and now we're taking it back
    to them. We're on their trail. We're smoking them out. We've got them on
    the run. We're hunting them down one by one, all across the world. With
    our allies, we've arrested or otherwise dealt with--[laughter]--many of
    the key commanders of Al Qaida. And that includes the terrorists who
    planned the bombing of the U.S.S. Cole.
        So far, more than 3,000 suspected terrorists have been arrested in
    many countries. Just about that number met a different kind of fate.
    They're not a problem anymore.
        The world changed on September the 11th, 2001. You see, we learned
    that oceans no longer protect us, that a threat that gathers on the
    other side of the Earth can strike our own cities, can kill our own
    people. That's what we learned. And I'm not going to forget that lesson.
    You see, we saw what terrorists could do with four airplanes as weapons.
    We're not going to wait and see what they can do with even deadlier
    weapons.
        Today, the gravest danger in the war on terror, the gravest danger
    facing America and the world, is outlaw regimes that seek and possess
    nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. These regimes could use such
    weapons for blackmail, terror, mass murder. They could also give or sell
    those weapons to terrorist allies who would use them without the least
    bit of hesitation. That's the reality of the world we live in, and
    that's what we're going to use every ounce of our power to defeat.
        We have an obligation to protect America and the Americans. We
    understand our responsibility, and jointly we'll do just that. We'll
    protect America and our friends and allies from these thugs.
        The civilized world has awakened to the growing danger posed by the
    Iraqi regime. Twelve years ago, Saddam Hussein agreed to disarm as a condition of suspending the Gulf
    war. Three months ago, the United Nations Security Council gave him a
    final chance to meet that obligation. Saddam Hussein is not disarming.
    He's deceiving.
        America has laid out the facts for the world to see. Saddam
    Hussein has chemical weapons programs and the
    means to use them. Saddam Hussein has biological weapons program and the
    means to deliver those weapons. He has secretly attempted to obtain
    materials needed to produce nuclear weapons. Saddam Hussein aids and
    protects terrorists, including members of Al Qaida. He harbors a senior
    Al Qaida leader who ordered the assassination of an American diplomat,
    the same man who plotted against Spain and Italy and the Republic of
    Georgia and Russia and Great Britain and France and Germany. The Iraqi
    regime is engaged in a massive campaign to conceal its weapons of mass
    destruction and its ties to terrorists, and that deception continues
    today.

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        At any moment during the last 97 days--and during the last 12
    years--Saddam Hussein could have completely
    and immediately disarmed himself. Instead, he's used all this time to
    build and to hide weapons. He must be hoping that by stalling he'll buy
    himself another 12 years. He's wrong. This country will not accept a
    serious and mounting threat to our Nation, our people, and our friends
    and allies.
        Military force is always this Nation's last option. Yet if force
    becomes necessary to disarm Iraq and enforce the will of the United
    Nations, if force becomes necessary to secure our country and to keep
    the peace, America will act deliberately; America will act decisively;
    and America will act victoriously with the world's greatest military.
        America will also be acting with friends and allies. An overwhelming
    majority of NATO members oppose the threat of Iraq and understand that
    tough choices may be necessary to keep the peace. Many nations have
    offered to provide forces or other support to disarm the Iraqi regime.
    Every nation of the Gulf Cooperation Council has agreed to help defend
    and protect Kuwait. And now the world's most important multilateral body
    faces a decision.
        The decision is this for the United Nations: When you say something,
    does it mean anything? You've got to decide, if you lay down a
    resolution, does it mean anything? The United Nations Security Council
    can now decide whether or not it has the resolve to enforce its
    resolutions.
        I'm optimistic that the U.N. Security Council will rise to its
    responsibilities and this time ensure enforcement of what it told Saddam
    Hussein he must do. See, I believe, when it's
    all said and done, free nations will not allow the United Nations to
    fade into history as an ineffective, irrelevant debating society. I'm
    optimistic that free nations will show backbone and courage in the face
    of true threats to peace and freedom.
        If there is a conflict, American forces will act in the honorable
    traditions of our military and in the highest moral traditions of this
    country. Our military will be fighting the oppressors of Iraq, not the
    people of Iraq. America's military fights not to conquer but to
    liberate.
        In case of conflict, this great Nation is already putting plans and
    supplies into place so that food and other humanitarian relief will flow
    quickly to the Iraqi people. You see, we seek more than the defeat of
    terror; we seek an advance of freedom and a world at peace. That is the
    charge that history has given us, and that is a charge we will keep.
        In crucial hours, the success of our cause will depend on the men
    and women of our military. You serve this Nation's ideals, and you live
    out those ideals in your code and in your character. I've seen your love
    of country and your devotion to a cause larger than yourself. I've seen
    your discipline, your idealism, and your sense of honor. I know that
    every mission you are given will be carried out with skill and unselfish
    courage.
        The first time the U.S.S. Enterprise was ever deployed in a crisis
    was October 1962, when President John F. Kennedy ordered it to
    quarantine Cuba, which was arming itself with nuclear missiles aimed at
    our Nation. President Kennedy understood that dangers to freedom had to
    be confronted early and decisively. He said of the cold war, ``These are
    extraordinary times. We face an extraordinary challenge. Our strength as
    well as our convictions have imposed upon this Nation the role of leader
    in freedom's cause.''
        Today, at the dawn of a new century, America is still the leader in
    freedom's cause. And our generation is called to a central role in this
    Nation's history. As Americans, we can be confident: The American people
    are strong and resolute. The American Armed Forces are brave and ready,
    and in freedom's cause, we will prevail.

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        May God bless you all. May God bless our family--your families--and
    may God continue to bless the United States of America.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:58 a.m. at the Echo Foxtrot Pier. In his
    remarks, he referred to Adm. Robert J. Natter, USN, commander, U.S.
    Atlantic Fleet; Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida; and President Saddam Hussein
    of Iraq. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of these remarks.