    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2003, Book II)]
    [October 4, 2003]
    [Pages 1252-1253]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    October 4, 2003

        Good morning. This weekend in Iraq, 750 Iraqi citizens completed
    their military training and became the first battalion of the new Iraqi
    Army. For decades, Iraq's army served the interests of a
    dictator. Today, a new army is serving the
    Iraqi people. And less than a year from now, Iraq will have a 40,000-
    member military force, trained and dedicated to protecting their fellow
    citizens.
        Our coalition is helping to train and equip Iraq's new army so that
    Iraqis can take over border protection and other security duties as soon
    as possible. Soldiers in the new battalion join more than 80,000 other
    Iraqis who are defending their country's security. Iraq now has a Civil
    Defense Corps of nearly 2,500, a border guard force of 4,700, and a
    facility protection service of over 12,000. And more than half of the
    Iraqis under arms are police officers, instructed by professionals like
    New York City's outstanding former police chief, Bernard Kerik. Iraq's neighbor, Jordan, has announced that it
    will help Iraq train additional police officers.
        For three decades, the police in Iraq were the feared enforcers of a
    dictatorship. Now Iraq's new police are enforcing the just laws of an
    emerging democracy. Already the Iraqi police are assuming greater
    responsibility and greater risks. This week, Iraqi officers aided a
    series of joint raids by American troops, leading to the arrest of more
    than 50 suspected criminals and terrorists. We're on the offensive
    against the desperate holdouts and Saddam loyalists who oppose progress
    in Iraq. The free

    [[Page 1253]]

    nation we are helping to build will be free of them.
        The United States is standing with the Iraqi people as they move
    toward self-government. My wartime funding request to Congress includes
    more than $5 billion to help the people of Iraq take responsibility for
    their own security. These funds will be used to prepare the Iraqi Army,
    to train public safety and emergency personnel, and to establish a fair
    and effective judicial system.
        Greater security is essential to Iraq's future. A secure Iraq will
    protect the nation's schools and the hospitals that are opening and the
    roads that are being built and the water and power facilities we are
    repairing. Across Iraq, our coalition is turning over responsibility to
    the future leaders of that country. Those leaders include women. Just
    this weekend, a conference is being held at the University of Babylon to
    affirm the vital role of women in the Iraqi society.
        The transition to self-government is a complicated process, because
    it takes time to build trust and hope after decades of oppression and
    fear. Yet we are making steady progress, and we will keep our promise to
    fully return Iraq's Government to Iraq's people as soon as possible.
        The men and women of our coalition have shown bravery and skill and
    compassion in Iraq. And they know their mission. They know that we are
    fighting terrorists in Iraq so that we will not have to face them and
    fight them in the streets of our own cities. Our forces know that a
    secure and sovereign Iraq will be a setback for terrorists and an
    inspiration to all who dream of freedom in the Middle East. And the
    world can be certain, this essential mission in the war on terror will
    be completed.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 11:27 a.m. on October 2 in the Cabinet
    Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on October 4. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    October 3 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. In his
    remarks, the President referred to former President Saddam Hussein of
    Iraq. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language
    transcript of this address.