[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 39, Number 48 (Monday, December 1, 2003)]
[Pages 1681-1683]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Signing the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 2004 in Arlington, Virginia

November 24, 2003

    Thank you for the warm welcome, and good morning. I'm honored to be 
here at the Pentagon with the men and women who are defending America 
and who are fighting the war on terror. America is counting on your 
skill and courage.
    People in our military depend upon the support of the Congress and 
the President and the administration. Today, with the National Defense 
Authorization Act, our Government is meeting its obligations. We're 
sending a clear message: In a time of conflict and challenge, America 
stands with the United States military.
    Mr. Secretary, you are doing a fantastic job for America. You lead 
with courage; you lead with clear vision; and you lead with strength. I 
appreciate General Dick Myers and the members of the Joint Chiefs who 
are with us. Thank you for your great service to our country. I want to 
thank the ranking enlisted personnel who are with us today, Sergeant 
Major John Estrada and Master Chief Petty Officer Terry Scott. I 
appreciate you all being up here as well. Thank you for your fine 
service. I want to thank the Department of Defense personnel who are 
with us today. Thank you for working with the Secretary and Deputy 
Secretary Wolfowitz and

[[Page 1682]]

others for making sure the Pentagon does its job and does its job well.
    I want to thank the Members of Congress who are here. I particularly 
want to single out Chairman Warner and Chairman Hunter: John Warner of 
Virginia, United States Senate; Duncan Hunter of California, the House 
of Representatives. I want to thank both of you for working on this 
important piece of legislation, for solving issues inside the bill, and 
getting a good bill to this desk. Thank you--[inaudible].
    I also thank Senator Carl Levin, who's the ranking member, Senator 
Susan Collins from Maine, and Congressman Tom Davis for joining us on 
this stage and for their leadership in this important piece of 
legislation. I want to thank the other Members of the United States 
Senate and the House of Representatives who have joined us. Thank you 
for supporting this piece of legislation.
    It's an important signal we're sending, because, you see, the war on 
terror is different than any war America has ever fought. Our enemies 
seek to inflict mass casualties without fielding mass armies. They hide 
in the shadows, and they're often hard to strike. The terrorists are 
cunning and ruthless and dangerous, as the world saw on September the 
11th, 2001, and again in Istanbul last week. Yet these killers are now 
facing the United States of America and a great coalition of responsible 
nations, and this threat to civilization will be defeated.
    In this new kind of war, our military needs to be fast and smart and 
agile, and it is. Right now, America's Armed Forces are the best 
trained, best equipped, and best prepared in the world, and this 
administration will keep it that way. The bill I sign today authorizes 
$400 billion over the next fiscal year to prepare our military for all 
that lies ahead. We will do whatever it takes to keep our Nation strong, 
to keep the peace, and to keep the American people secure.
    First, this legislation respects and supports the men and women of 
our military and their families, all of whom are a vital source of our 
national strength. For more than three decades, America has been well 
served and well defended by our All Volunteer Force. The quality and 
professionalism of that force has never been higher. Whether you wear 
four stars or one stripe, our military is making America proud.
    In this time of war, our military is facing greater sacrifice. Our 
men and women in uniform are facing longer separations. Your families 
are feeling great pride, and sometimes they worry. America is grateful 
for your willingness to serve, and we are showing our gratitude. This 
bill authorizes an across-the-board pay increase averaging 4.15 percent. 
It extends through next year the increase of extra pay earned by 
servicemembers who volunteer for hazardous duty and who endure long 
separations from their families. The bill further reduces housing costs 
for those living off posts. It reauthorizes bonus pay for those with 
specialized skills. Those who risk their lives for our liberty deserve 
to be fairly paid and fairly treated. And this bill keeps those 
commitments.
    Second, this legislation helps America remain prepared and fully 
equipped for the challenges of our time. In our new struggle, threats 
can emerge suddenly, and so we must always be ready. This bill 
authorizes funds for realistic training, because battles are won with 
the effective training of our people.
    The Congress has authorized the full $9.1 billion that I requested 
for ballistic missile defense. The spread of ballistic missile 
technology, along with the spread of weapons of mass destruction, is a 
terrible danger to America and to the world, and we must have the tools 
and the technologies to properly protect our people.
    This bill also advances the vital work of transforming the personnel 
system for civilian defense workers, so that we can place the right 
person in the right job to meet the challenges we face. Nearly 700,000 
civilian defense workers have been laboring under a cumbersome, 
inefficient system designed for another century. The bill I sign today 
reforms this system. It gives DOD managers the flexibility to place 
civilian workers where they are most needed, without needless delay. It 
speeds up the hiring process so that new employees will not have to face 
a wait

[[Page 1683]]

of many months before beginning their service to our country. It 
introduces pay-for-performance bonuses and streamlines the promotion 
process, making a career at the Defense Department more attractive to 
talented workers.
    These are landmark reforms, the most ambitious of their kind in a 
quarter-century and similar in scope and purpose to those enacted for 
the Department of Homeland Security. To win the war on terror, America 
must fully utilize the skills and talents of everyone who serves our 
country, and this bill will help us achieve that goal.
    Every member of the United States military is now involved in a 
great and historic task, and the stakes for our country could not be 
higher. We face enemies that measure their progress by the chaos they 
inflict, the fear they spread, and the innocent lives they destroy.
    America's military is standing between our country and grave danger. 
You're standing for order and hope and democracy in Afghanistan and 
Iraq. You're standing up for the security of all free nations and for 
the advance of freedom. The American people and your Commander in Chief 
are grateful, and we will support you in all your essential missions.
    And now it is my honor to sign the National Defense Authorization 
Act for Fiscal Year 2004.
    May God bless you all.

Note: The President spoke at 10:10 a.m. at the Pentagon. In his remarks, 
he referred to Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld; Sgt. Maj. John 
L. Estrada, USMC, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps; and Master Chief 
Petty Officer of the Navy Terry D. Scott, USN. H.R. 1588, approved 
November 24, was assigned Public Law No. 108-136.