[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 21 (Monday, May 26, 2003)]
[Pages 636-639]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Commencement Address at the United States Coast Guard Academy in New 
London, Connecticut

May 21, 2003

    Thank you very much. Thanks for the warm welcome. Admiral Collins 
and Admiral Olsen, Secretary Ridge, Lieutenant Governor Rell, Mr. 
President--I'm glad you're here; thank you for coming, sir--Congressman 
Simmons, the fine professors of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, 
distinguished guests, proud family members, and the graduates, thank you 
for your welcome, and thank you for the honor of speaking to the newest 
officers of the United States Coast Guard.
    You know, I was born in this State, just down the road. [Laughter] 
I've still got relatives living here. [Laughter] And it looks like some 
of them were up late last night painting Pride Rock. [Laughter]
    This is a proud day for the Class of 2003. I know you've worked hard 
to get here. You've persevered through the rigors of Swab Summer. You've 
faced difficult trials in the classroom, aboard Eagle. And now, with 
silver dollars in your pockets, you're ready to become officers in our 
Nation's oldest continuous seagoing service. You have shown each day 
that you ``revere honor'' and that you ``honor duty.'' You have made 
your families, your professors, and your country proud. On behalf of the 
American people, thank you for choosing a life of service, and 
congratulations on a great achievement.
    I bring with me a small graduation present. Pursuant to the 
longstanding tradition, I hereby grant amnesty to all cadets on 
restriction for minor conduct offenses. [Laughter] I leave it up to 
Admiral Olsen to determine the definition of ``minor.'' [Laughter]
    Coast Guard Academy life is demanding, and it should be because you 
are entrusted with solemn responsibilities in peace and in war. America 
counts on the Coast Guard to enforce maritime law, to secure our 
waterways and ports, to rescue those in distress, and to intercept 
illegal drugs. In this new century, we will count on you even more. The 
men and women of this class are the first ever to graduate into the 
Department of Homeland Security, which is charged with protecting the 
American people against terrorist attacks. You are bringing a long 
tradition of duty to this new and urgent tasks. Terrorists who seek to 
harm our country now face your ``Shield of Freedom.'' Every citizen can 
be grateful that the Coast Guard stands watch for America.
    The Coast Guard is also playing a vital role in America's strategy 
to confront terror before it comes to our shores. In the Iraqi theater, 
Coast Guard cutters and patrol boats and buoy tenders and over a 
thousand of your finest active duty and reserve members protected key 
ports and oil platforms, detained Iraqi prisoners of war, and helped 
speed the delivery of relief supplies to the Iraqi people. Many have 
returned safely to port, and many remain on duty in the Persian Gulf. 
All have helped to liberate a great people, and all have brought a great 
credit to the uniform of the United States Coast Guard.
    In Iraq, America's military and our allies carried out every mission 
and exceeded every expectation. Heavy units of armor and infantry moved 
with speed and agility that kept the enemy in a state of constant 
surprise and

[[Page 637]]

deadly confusion. Airstrikes and cruise missiles destroyed the power 
centers and meeting places of the regime, while targets were carefully 
examined to protect the innocent from harm. Our forces confronted an 
enemy that rejected every rule of warfare and morality, but our men and 
women in uniform showed their decency and kept their honor. In a month 
of battle, American armed services set an example of skill and daring 
that will stand for all time.
    America will not relent in the war against global terror. We will 
hunt the terrorists in every dark corner of the Earth, and we're making 
good progress. Nearly one-half of Al Qaida senior operatives have been 
captured or killed. We will deny the terrorists the sanctuary and bases 
they need to plan and strike, as we have done in the battle of 
Afghanistan. We will not permit terror networks or terror states to 
threaten or blackmail the world with weapons of mass destruction, as we 
have shown in the battle of Iraq. Our country has been attacked by 
treachery in our own cities, and that treachery continues in places like 
Riyadh and Casablanca. We have seen the ruthless intentions of our 
enemies. And they are seeing our intentions: We will press on until this 
danger to our country and to the world is ended.
    Yet, the national interest of America involves more than eliminating 
aggressive threats to our safety. We also stand for the values that 
defeat violence and the hope that overcomes hatred. We find our greatest 
security in the advance of human freedom. Free societies look to the 
possibilities of the future, instead of feeding old resentments and 
bitterness. Free countries build wealth and prosperity for their people 
in an atmosphere of stability and order, instead of seeking weapons of 
mass murder and attacking their neighbors. Because America loves peace, 
America will always work and sacrifice for the expansion of freedom.
    The advance of freedom is more than an interest we pursue. It is a 
calling we follow. Our country was created in the name and cause of 
freedom. And if the self-evident truths of our founding are true for us, 
they are true for all. As a people dedicated to civil rights, we are 
driven to defend the human rights of others. We are the Nation that 
liberated continents and concentration camps. We are the Nation of the 
Marshall plan, the Berlin airlift, and the Peace Corps. We are the 
Nation that ended the oppression of Afghan women, and we are the Nation 
that closed the torture chambers of Iraq.
    America's national ambition is the spread of free markets, free 
trade, and free societies. These goals are not achieved at the expense 
of other nations; they are achieved for the benefit of all nations. 
America seeks to expand not the borders of our country but the realm of 
liberty.
    Our vision is opposed by terrorists and tyrants who attack a world 
they can never inspire. This vision is also threatened by the faceless 
enemies of human dignity, plague, starvation, and hopeless poverty. And 
America is at war with these enemies as well.
    The advance of freedom and hope is challenged by the spread of AIDS. 
Today, on the continent of Africa, nearly 30 million people are 
afflicted with HIV/AIDS, including 3 million children under the age of 
15. The African Continent has lost 7 million agricultural workers. In 
some countries, almost a third of the teachers are HIV-positive. A 15-
year-old boy living in Botswana has an 80-percent chance of dying of 
AIDS. It is a desperate struggle for any person or any nation to build a 
better future in the shadow of death.
    Yet, this shadow can be lifted. AIDS can be prevented, and AIDS can 
be treated. Lives can be saved, and others extended by many years. In my 
State of the Union Address in January, I put forward an Emergency Plan 
for AIDS Relief directing $15 billion over the next 5 years to fight 
AIDS abroad. And we will especially focus our efforts on 14 African and 
Caribbean nations where HIV/AIDS is heavily concentrated.
    I'm pleased that both Houses of Congress have now passed a bill 
authorizing these funds. I look forward to signing the bill next week. 
The Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief is the largest single upfront 
commitment in history for an international public health initiative 
involving a specific disease.
    With this dramatic expansion of America's efforts, we will prevent 7 
million new HIV infections, treat at least 2 million people with life-
extending drugs, and provide humane

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care for 10 million HIV-infected individuals and AIDS orphans.
    When I travel to Europe next week, I will challenge our allies to 
make a similar commitment which will save even more lives. I will remind 
them that the clock is ticking, that every single day 8,000 more people 
will die from AIDS in Africa. There will be 14,000 more infections. I 
will urge our European partners and Japan and Canada to join a great 
mission of rescue and to match their good intentions with real 
resources.
    The advance of freedom and hope in the world is also challenged by 
an ancient enemy, famine. Our world produces more than enough food to 
feed its 6 billion people. Yet tens of millions are at risk of 
starvation, and millions more lack water fit for drinking. This crisis 
also is concentrated in Africa. We have the ability to confront this 
suffering, and we accept the duty as old as the Scriptures to comfort 
the afflicted and to feed the hungry.
    America is already the largest provider in the world of food relief, 
giving more than $1.4 billion in global emergency food aid and one-half 
of all contributions to the World Food Program. And we are determined to 
do more. I've committed to a nearly $1 billion initiative to provide 
clean drinking water to 50 million people in the developing world. I've 
also asked Congress to provide $200 million for a new famine fund, which 
will give us the flexibility to act quickly when the first signs of 
famine appear. I call on other nations to follow our lead by 
establishing their own emergency funds. By saving time in responding to 
crisis, we will save lives.
    We can also greatly reduce the long-term problem of hunger in Africa 
by applying the latest developments of science. I have proposed an 
Initiative to End Hunger in Africa. By widening the use of new high-
yield biocrops and unleashing the power of markets, we can dramatically 
increase agricultural productivity and feed more people across the 
continent.
    Yet, our partners in Europe are impeding this effort. They have 
blocked all new biocrops because of unfounded, unscientific fears. This 
has caused many African nations to avoid investing in biotechnologies, 
for fear that their products will be shut out of European markets. 
European governments should join, not hinder, the great cause of ending 
hunger in Africa.
    We must also give farmers in Africa, Latin America, and Asia and 
elsewhere a fair chance to compete in world markets. When wealthy 
nations subsidize their agricultural exports, it prevents poor countries 
from developing their own agricultural sectors. So I propose that all 
developed nations, including our partners in Europe, immediately 
eliminate subsidies on agricultural exports to developing countries so 
that they can produce more food to export and more food to feed their 
own people.
    The advance of freedom is also undermined by persistent poverty and 
despair. Half the human population lives on less than $2 a day. Billions 
of men and women can scarcely imagine the benefits of modern life 
because they have never experienced them.
    For decades, many governments around the world have made sincere and 
generous efforts to support global development. Far too often, these 
funds have only enriched corrupt rulers and made little or no difference 
in the lives of the poor. It's time for governments of developed nations 
to stop asking the simplistic question: How much money are we 
transferring from nations that are rich? The only question that matters 
is: How much good are we doing to help the people that are poor? The 
only standard worth setting and meeting is the standard of results.
    The lesson of our time is clear: When nations embrace free markets, 
the rule of law, and open trade, they prosper, and millions of lives are 
lifted out of poverty and despair. So I have proposed the creation of a 
new Millennium Challenge Account, an entirely new approach to 
development aid. This money will go to developing nations whose 
government are committed to three broad standards: They must rule 
justly; they must invest in the health and education of their people; 
and they must have policies that encourage economic freedom.
    To fund this account, I have proposed a 50-percent increase in 
America's core development assistance over the next 3 years. Under this 
proposal, our annual development assistance eventually will be $5 
billion greater than it is today. I urge the Congress to give

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its full support to the Millennium Challenge Account. And when I'm in 
Europe, I will call on America's partners to join us in moving beyond 
the broken development policies of the past and encourage the freedom 
and reform that lead to prosperity.
    These goals--advancing against disease, hunger, and poverty--will 
bring greater security to our country. They are also the moral purpose 
of American influence. They set an agenda for our Government, and they 
give idealistic citizens a great cause to serve. President Woodrow 
Wilson said, ``America has a spiritual energy in her which no other 
nation can contribute to the liberation of mankind.'' In this new 
century, we must apply that energy to the good of people everywhere.
    For more than four decades, the volunteers of the Peace Corps have 
carried the good will of America into many parts of the world. Interest 
in this program is greater than ever before. I'm determined to double 
the size of the Peace Corps over the next 5 years. Today I would like to 
announce a new USA Freedom Corps initiative called Volunteers for 
Prosperity, which will give America's highly skilled professionals new 
opportunities to serve abroad. The program will enlist American doctors 
and nurses and teachers and engineers and economists and computer 
specialists and others to work on specific development initiatives, 
including those that I have discussed today. These volunteers will serve 
in the countries of their choice for however long their project takes. 
Like generations before us, this generation of citizens will show the 
world the energy and idealism of the United States of America.
    I see that idealism in the faces of our soldiers and sailors and 
airmen and marines. I see that idealism in the faces of this Academy 
class. The men and women of the Coast Guard are ``always ready'' to 
defend the security of this Nation. You are ``always ready'' to rescue 
those in trouble. These two commitments define your mission, and they 
define America's role in history. We understand that strength is 
necessary to confound the designs of evil men. And we know that the 
compassion and generosity of this land can aid the suffering and inspire 
the world. We will use the great power of America to serve the great 
ideals of America. And by these efforts we will build a lasting, 
democratic peace for ourselves and for all humanity.
    Congratulations. May God bless the Class of 2003. May God continue 
to bless the United States of America. Semper paratus.

Note: The President spoke at 11:37 a.m. at Nelson W. Nitchman Field. In 
his remarks, he referred to Adm. Thomas H. Collins, USCG, commandant, 
U.S. Coast Guard; Rear Adm. R.C. Olsen, Jr., USCG, superintendent, 
United States Coast Guard Academy; Lt. Gov. M. Jodi Rell of Connecticut; 
and President Thomas E. Remengesau, Jr., of Palau, who presented a 
commission to the first Coast Guard Academy graduate from Palau. The 
Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language 
transcript of this address.