    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [August 14, 2003]
    [Pages 1025-1030]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Interview With the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service
    August 14, 2003

    Liberia

        Q. Thank you for joining us today. We really appreciate you being
    here and taking time out to talk with us.
        I'd like to start out with a topic that's in the news this morning,
    and that's Liberia. Two weeks ago, you authorized Secretary
    Rumsfeld to send a small contingency into
    that war-torn country to help

    [[Page 1026]]

    out. And now this morning, we hear that a couple of hundred more U.S.
    forces are there to help out. What's the status there? Do you see this
    as a long-term deployment for our troops? Or do you think this is more
    short-term?
        The President. No, I know it's short-term. Here's what I said. I
    said, look, we have a special obligation in Liberia to help with
    humanitarian aid, and therefore, we will. And I said, secondly, we will
    have a limited mission of limited duration and limited scope and that we
    will help what's called ECOMIL, which is the western African nations'
    militaries, go in and provide the conditions necessary for humanitarian
    aid to move.
        We have yet to deploy anybody, really. Today you mentioned 200
    troops. Those 200 troops will be the first really deployed, other than
    assessment teams, and their job is to help secure an airport and a port
    so food can be offloaded and the delivery process begun to help people
    in Monrovia. We'll be out of there by October the 1st. We've got U.N.
    blue-helmeted troops ready to replace our limited number of troops.
        But our mission there is to help ECOWAS--help ECOMIL provide
    humanitarian aid.

    Coalition Operations in Iraq

        Q. I'd like to turn to Iraq now.
        The President. Yes.
        Q. On May 1st, you flew aboard the Abraham Lincoln, and you
    addressed the Nation, and you announced the end of combat operations.
        The President. Actually, major military operations.
        Q. Okay, I stand corrected.
        The President. Because we still have combat operations going on.
        Q. We do, sir; you're right. But as you say, duty there continues to
    be tough, dangerous work. But ironically, more of our troops have died
    since May 1st than during the main hostility. What do your advisers tell
    you about the security threat in Iraq today? Is it getting better? Is it
    worse? Where do we stand?
        The President. Well, it's certainly getting better on a day-by-day
    basis. And the reason why is because we're routing out former Ba'athists
    and some foreign terrorists from the country. These are people who can't
    stand the thought of a free Iraq.
        Really, the way I'd like for your viewers to understand the Iraq
    theater is that the--Iraq is an integral part on the war on terror. See,
    Saddam Hussein was funding terrorist
    activities. He was providing money. Who knows what kind of armament he
    was providing. We know he had illegal weapons, and those weapons in the
    hands of terrorists would be very dangerous to the United States.
        Iraq is in the middle of a part of the region that has produced
    terror and terrorists. And therefore, a free Iraq is an integral part of
    winning the war on terror, because a free Iraq is going to be one that
    will help--will have an amazingly positive effect on its neighborhood. A
    free Iraq will no longer be a threat to the United States and our
    friends and allies. And so what you're seeing now is a continuation on
    the battle for Iraq; it's just a different kind of battle. The first
    wave of military operations was to get rid of--the first major goal of
    military operations was to get rid of Saddam Hussein and his regime, and we have done that. And now it is
    to make the country secure enough for democracy to flourish. And it's a
    different kind of combat mission, but nevertheless, it's combat--just
    ask the kids that are over there killing and being shot at.
        Listen, as Commander in Chief, I grieve for any loss of life. And I
    stand in--I send my deepest sympathies to the loved ones who grieve over
    the loss of a soldier, a loved one. But the cause is a good cause,
    because we will never forget the lessons of 9/11. This is part of the
    war on terror. And the effect of what we have done in Iraq and what
    we're doing in Iraq will be a very positive effect on future generations

    [[Page 1027]]

    of Americans, and that's very important for people to understand.
        Q. You talked about a democracy in Iraq. August 8th was the 100th
    day since the end of combat operations there. But we've got a lot of
    forces that are still there. I guess my question to you is, will U.S.
    forces continue to bear the brunt of the responsibility there? I believe
    down in Crawford you told the press that America was committed to
    staying in Iraq until they were free.
        The President. Right.
        Q. But will that responsibility continue to fall on U.S. forces, or
    will our coalition partners step up and give us some relief?
        The President. Yes, I think what you'll find is, is that there will
    be a variety of different elements that will give relief to U.S. forces.
        First of all, we will stay there until the job is done. If America
    pulls out, there's no telling what'll happen. It'll certainly embolden
    terrorists to think that we are going to a mission and don't complete
    it. But think about the following dynamics. First of all, Britain is
    still there. Polish troops are now moving in and will be in, I think, by
    September 4th of this year, which is in 2 weeks. That's a major Polish
    contingent. There will be other nations going in to support not only the
    Polish contingent but the British contingent.
        We're developing an Iraq police force as well as an Iraqi army. And
    the idea is at some point in time, the Iraqi army is able to secure the
    powerlines and prevent the looting. See, what's happening there is
    there's a handful of people, an element of people who are willing to
    destroy the power grid as we rebuild it, in order to try to terrorize
    people. It would be helpful if other patrolled the power grid, other
    than our U.S. hunter-killer teams. And that's what's happening now. And
    this fall you'll see a lot of protective load, kind of the guarding
    role, being taken off the shoulders of U.S. troops and shared by
    coalition forces.
        But you know, you mentioned 100 days. I want to put this in
    perspective. Saddam Hussein had 12 years or
    so, or more, to hide weapons and to fool the world. I say ``12 years''
    because that's really the timeframe from '91, the last U.S. incursion,
    until today, but no telling what he was doing prior to '91. He has had
    years to terrorize people. This is the guy, if you disagreed with him,
    you're liable to be dead and your family would be tortured as well or
    killed as well.
        And so we're dealing with a mindset and kind of a condition, an
    environment that has been in place for a long time, and yet we've only
    been there for 100 days. But we've done a lot in 100. In other words, my
    expectations aren't the democracy will flourish after 100 days. Of
    course, my expectations were that--I wasn't certain how long it was
    going to take for us to do an incredibly difficult, complex military
    operation. I knew that we had a good plan, because General
    Franks told me we had a good plan. But it
    happened a lot quicker than I thought.
        So I don't--my point is, I don't tend to put time, artificial
    timelines; I try to be realistic, however, about how long it takes to
    accomplish a complex mission.

    Afghanistan/War on Terror

        Q. Mr. President, I'd like to talk about Afghanistan for a moment,
    formerly a hotbed of terrorist activity, and the first country to feel
    America's wrath and compassion in the war on terrorism after 9/11. But
    today, significant numbers of U.S. troops are still there helping to
    rebuild that country. My question for you is, is there a timetable for
    when U.S. forces will start to come home from there? Or is Afghanistan
    tied to Iraq?
        The President. Well, listen, we've got about 10,000 troops there,
    which is down from, obviously, major combat operations. And they're
    there to provide security, and they're there to provide reconstruction
    help. But both those functions are being

    [[Page 1028]]

    gradually replaced by other troops. Germany, for example, is now
    providing the troops for ISAF, which is the security force for
    Afghanistan under NATO control. In other words, more and more coalition
    forces and friends are beginning to carry a lot of the burden in
    Afghanistan.
        We'll still have hunter-killer teams there to chase down remnants of
    Taliban and Al Qaida, because--we want, of course, Afghanistan to be a
    secure and democratic country. And we want to use--now that we're locked
    and loaded, as they say in the military, we want to chase down those who
    could eventually come back and harm America.
        In other words, Afghanistan and Iraq--they're linked. They're linked
    because they're both integral theaters in the war on terror. And a free
    Afghanistan and a free Iraq will make America more secure, and that's,
    after all, the mission that we're after. Nine-eleven taught us a lesson,
    that we're vulnerable, and 9/11 reminded me that my obligation as the
    Commander in Chief is to hunt down an enemy and bring them to justice
    before they would ever harm America again. And that's what we're going
    to do, so long as I am the President.

    North Korea

        Q. I'd like to go to the other side of the world for a moment, if I
    could, to North Korea.
        The President. Yes.
        Q. What is the status on their weapons of mass destruction and their
    ability to use them? And most specifically, how concerned should U.S.
    forces in the Pacific theater be--South Korea, Japan--that North Korea
    would use nuclear weapons against them?
        The President. Well, you know, we believe he has got a warhead. We
    know he's got rockets. And we know he's a dangerous man, and that's why
    we take his threats seriously. You know, the best thing to do, in my
    judgment, is to convince others to join us to convince Kim Chong-il to change his behavior.
        In other words, we tried the bilateral approach, and it didn't work
    because he didn't tell the truth. And so now our strategy is to get the
    Chinese involved, which they are, and to get the Russians involved and
    the Japanese involved and the South Koreans involved, all of us involved
    to tell Kim Chong-il that we expect him to denuclearize the Korean
    Peninsula for the sake of peace. And that's where we're headed.
        I'd like to solve this diplomatically, and I believe we can. It's
    going to take a lot of persuasion by countries besides the United States
    to convince him. He loves the idea of, you know, making people nervous
    and rattling sabers and getting the world all anxious. And my job is to
    tell others that let's speak with one voice and convince this man that
    developing a nuclear weapon on the Korean Peninsula is not in his
    interests.

    Military Pay and Benefits/Military Families

        Q. I'd like to talk about people for a minute. You've talked about
    them earlier, and nobody knows better than you the sacrifices that our
    servicemembers are making day in and day out on the war on terrorism,
    whether it's Iraq, Afghanistan, here at home. What can servicemembers
    look for in the way of benefits, pay, housing, health care, that kind of
    thing, to repay them for their unselfish sacrifice to the Nation?
        The President. When I first came in, I made the commitment that help
    was on the way. I said that during the campaign to the military, help
    was on the way, and I've lived up to that commitment.
        Pay is going up. I think if you talk to the servicemen, they do feel
    the pay increases that we've--that I proposed and Congress has passed.
    And when you couple that with two significant tax cuts, our servicemen
    have got more money in their pocket than before.

    [[Page 1029]]

        I ask the question all the time to troops. I don't know if I got--I
    hope I get the straight answer. You don't know; it must be a little
    awesome for a sergeant to talk to the Commander in Chief.
        Q. It's very awesome, sir. [Laughter]
        The President. And I turn to the guy and say, ``Can you feel your
    pay raise?'' And to a person, the answer is yes, they feel their pay
    raise, which is good. And that's what I want.
        The other thing is that when you and I first met at Fort Stewart,
    Georgia, I was given a tour of substandard housing. And I went back and
    talked to Don Rumsfeld about that and
    said, ``We've got to do something about that.'' Pay is one thing, and
    housing is another. And both of them are compatible; both of them are
    important for families in the military.
        And I think you'll find that we have--we're living up to our
    commitment to have a full-scale housing program ongoing for our troops.
    And the housing issue is getting a lot--the housing condition is
    improving, compared to the way it was in the past, and so I'm mindful of
    it.
        And health care is good for our troops. I think, again, if you ask
    the troops--that's who I ask, and they tell me they're pleased with the
    health care. And so the key is to continue the progress that we've made
    about making sure that the human condition in the military is excellent.
        Q. One final question, Mr. President. The families of America's
    fighting forces, they make huge sacrifices in the name of freedom, just
    like the servicemembers. You touched on it earlier. You touched on it in
    your speech today. For months at a time, they give up their
    servicemembers. They don't know where they are. They don't hear from
    them. They don't know if they're safe. They don't know if they're dead
    or alive. What message do you have for the families today?
        The President. Well, my message is that what your loved one is doing
    is the right thing for the country. We are called upon to defend the
    United States of America. I take that oath, and every soldier takes that
    oath. And on 9/11, our world changed, and we realized this country is
    vulnerable and we better do something about it. And the best way to
    secure the homeland is to get the enemy before he gets us. At least,
    that's my attitude. And so, I--first of all, the commitment that their
    loved ones have made, the families of the service ones have made, is in
    line with this business about winning and fighting war.
        Every person is a volunteer in our military. They've chosen to
    defend the United States of America. And therefore, they need to get the
    best--if that's their attitude, and they made up their mind that's what
    they want to do, then my job is to get them the best equipment, the best
    pay, the best training possible, so that if we ever have to send them
    in, they'll be able to do the job.
        And I hope their loved ones understand that, that this is a
    volunteer army and it requires sacrifice. Look, I understand what it
    must mean for the moms and dads and sons and daughters to wonder about
    their loved one. It must be a nerve-wracking experience. On the other
    hand, it's for a good cause.
        I would tell you as well, as I think our military does is--I'm going
    to tell you two things I think the military does really well that will
    hopefully give comfort to people. One, there is a lot of communication
    that takes place with troops overseas and their loved ones at home.
    There are--there's e-mail efforts that go on, a lot of e-mail efforts.
    In other words, there's a capacity to communicate from afar, the likes
    of which our military has never had.
        Secondly, I have visited our wounded. One of my jobs as the
    Commander in Chief is to try to comfort those who grieve and to comfort
    those who are wounded--those who grieve as a result of loss of life, and
    those--and to comfort those who have been wounded, and I do. I'm
    responsible for putting them into combat, and I know

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    that. And so I go to hospitals on occasion, Walter Reed or Bethesda.
        Ours is a country that can take a young, wounded soldier off the
    battlefield and have him in the best care in a number of days. I met
    many a troop that was wounded in Iraq and 3 days later was at Bethesda
    Naval Hospital getting the best possible treatment. And to me that
    speaks volumes about the commitment of our country to take care of our
    fighters and our soldiers and marines and sailors and airmen. If
    somebody gets hurt far from home, we will deliver the best care in the
    world in a rapid time. And I understand that doesn't replace an injured
    limb for a loved one, but it certainly should say loud and clear that
    this country cares deeply about those who are willing to sacrifice on
    its behalf.
        Q. As you say, sir, freedom isn't free.
        The President. That's right.
        Q. Thank you, Mr. President, very much. I really appreciate the
    time.
        The President. You bet. Thank you, sir. Good job.

    Note: The interview began at 1:55 p.m. in Hangar Five at the Marine
    Corps Air Station in Miramar, CA, for later broadcast, and the
    transcript was released by the Office of the Press Secretary on August
    18. In his remarks, the President referred to former President Saddam
    Hussein of Iraq; Gen. Tommy R. Franks, USA (Ret.), former combatant
    commander, U.S. Central Command; and Chairman Kim Chong-il of North
    Korea. A tape was not available for verification of the content of this
    interview.