[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 29, Number 50 (Monday, December 20, 1993)]
[Pages 2604-2605]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Announcing the Nomination of Admiral Bobby R. Inman To Be 
Secretary of Defense

 December 16, 1993

    Ladies and gentlemen, yesterday I announced that Secretary Aspin 
would be step- 

[[Page 2605]]

ping down as Secretary of Defense next month after a year of devoted 
service. I want to stress again how deeply grateful I am on behalf of 
all Americans for his hard work and his many unique contributions to the 
Pentagon and to our national defense.
    To ensure the greatest possible continuity, I wanted to announce a 
successor as soon as possible. So today, I am very pleased to announce 
my intent to nominate Admiral Bob Inman as the next Secretary of 
Defense.
    Admiral Inman was one of our Nation's highest ranking and most 
respected military officers. He was a four-star admiral whose career in 
the Navy and in our intelligence community and in private business has 
won him praise from both Democrats and Republicans who admire his 
intellect, his integrity, and his leadership ability.
    The Admiral's experience in serving our Nation is truly impressive. 
He personally briefed Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy. He held senior 
positions under Presidents Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush. Former 
Secretary of Defense James Schlesinger called Admiral Inman ``a national 
asset.'' And I know he will be a national asset as Secretary of Defense.
    He brings to this job the kind of character all Americans respect. 
The son of a gas station owner in a small east Texas town, he rose to 
distinction and success on the basis of his brains, his talent, and his 
hard work. He finished high school at 15, graduated from college at 19, 
joined the Naval Reserve at 20, and then launched an impressive 31-year 
career in the Navy. He served on an aircraft carrier, two cruisers, and 
a destroyer as well as on onshore assignments as an analyst for naval 
intelligence. In 1976, at the age of 45, he became the youngest vice 
admiral in peacetime history. Bob Inman's stellar intelligence work 
caught the attention of many military and civilian leaders and prompted 
his elevation to several high posts in the intelligence community. He 
served as Vice Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Director of 
the National Security Agency, and Deputy Director of the Central 
Intelligence Agency. Because of his outstanding service, he was awarded 
the National Security Medal by President Carter.
    Over the past decade since Admiral Inman left Government, he served 
in a wide range of private sector positions, including CEO of two 
private sector electronics firms, Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank 
of Dallas, and a teacher at his alma mater, the University of Texas. 
He's also served on 11 not-for-profit corporate boards. And in all these 
roles, Admiral Inman has established a reputation for penetrating 
analysis, strong leadership, and a rock-solid commitment to this 
Nation's security. Those qualities will serve our Nation well as the 
Admiral becomes our next Secretary of Defense.
    This is a time of great change in our world. We must build on the 
work Les Aspin began with a bottom-up review to ensure that we have the 
right forces and strategy for this new era. We must ensure that, even as 
we reduce force levels, our military remains ready to fight and win on a 
moment's notice. We must ensure that our men and women in uniform remain 
the best trained, the best equipped, the best prepared fighting force on 
Earth. And we must maintain and build strong bipartisan support in the 
Congress and in the country for the foreign policy and national defense 
interests of our Nation.
    I am confident that Admiral Inman is the right leader to meet these 
demanding challenges. I am grateful that he's agreed to make the 
personal sacrifices necessary to return to full-time Government service 
and to accept this important assignment at this pivotal time in world 
events. I'm delighted that he will be joining our national security 
team, and I thank him for his service to the Nation.

Note: The President spoke at 1:33 p.m. in the Rose Garden at the White 
House.