[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 38, Number 4 (Monday, January 28, 2002)]
[Pages 108-110]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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.

[[Page 109]]

    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, 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.

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    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 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.