[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 32 (Monday, August 9, 2004)]
[Pages 1451-1453]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks on Signing the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2005

August 5, 2004

    The President. Thank you all. Please be seated.
    America and our allies are fighting a new kind of war against a 
different kind of enemy. This conflict places great demands on the men 
and women of our Armed Forces, including our Guard and Reserve. They 
have met every test. They've risen to every challenge.
    The war also places demands on those of us in Government. We took an 
oath to protect our country. We have a solemn responsibility to support 
the service men and women who defend us in the field of battle. The 
Defense appropriations bill I will sign today commits $391 billion 
toward meeting that responsibility. With this legislation, America's 
military will know that their country stands behind them as they fight 
for our freedom and as they spread the peace. No enemy or friend can 
doubt that America has the resources to prevail, and we will.
    I want to thank the Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld, for his 
steadfast and strong leadership of our Pentagon. Mr. Secretary, thank 
you.
    Secretary Rumsfeld. Thank you, sir.
    The President. I appreciate Deputy Secretary Wolfowitz for joining 
us today. I appreciate the other members of the Pentagon team who are 
here. I appreciate Jim Roche and Les Brownlee representing the Air Force 
and the Army. General Myers, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, is with 
us. I appreciate the Chairman. I want to thank all the military generals 
who are here, who run their respective branches of the services. Thank 
you all for coming. Thanks for your leadership.
    I appreciate Senator John Warner representing the United States 
Congress. Senator Warner is a strong leader when it comes to matters of 
defense. He's the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. This 
bill passed with overwhelming bipartisan support. I want thank you for 
that, sir.
    America's military is fighting in many theaters, yet always for the 
same cause. We seek to preserve freedom and peace for ourselves and for 
our friends.
    In the last 3 years, our military men and women have struck a series 
of decisive blows against the enemy. They have relentlessly attacked the 
Al Qaida network. They've killed or captured many of its leaders. 
They've destroyed its terror camps. We're disrupting its plans. We're 
doing our duty.
    We've ended regimes in Kabul and Baghdad that supported and harbored 
terrorists and threatened America. They have helped to launch the 
nations of Iraq and Afghanistan on the path to lasting democracy and 
liberty. They have helped friendly nations build the strength and 
institutions necessary to fight terror. At this hour, our troops are 
staying on the offensive against Al Qaida. We're taking the fight to the 
enemies, those who can't stand the thought of a free Iraq and free 
Afghanistan. Our troops are making America safer, and we're grateful for 
their sacrifices.
    These great achievements have come at a cost of human life and 
grief. America is grateful for the families of those who mourn a loved 
one. We will honor their memory by completing the mission and making the 
world a more peaceful place. We have made a commitment to the men and 
women of our Armed Forces. We will support them. We

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will provide them fair pay and good treatment. We will continue to 
ensure they have the tools they need to defeat the enemies of today. We 
will develop the weapons and systems to meet the threats of tomorrow.
    The bill meets these commitments: first, by providing more than $103 
billion to the greatest source of American strength, our servicepeople 
and their families. This appropriation is the fourth of my 
administration to include a pay raise for our troops. This year's raise 
of 3.5 percent brings the total pay raise over the last 4 years to 
nearly 21 percent. This money is well earned, well deserved, and well 
spent. The bill also fulfills my pledge to eliminate the costs that too 
many servicepeople have had to pay for off-base housing. It's a real 
boost to the quality of life for our military families. The excellence 
and professionalism of an all-volunteer force has never been higher. 
America must do all we can to encourage these special Americans to stay 
in uniform. And that starts with taking care of their families.
    Second, this bill meets our commitments by making sure that our 
Armed Forces have every tool they need to meet and defeat the threats of 
our time. This bill provides $25 billion in emergency appropriations to 
support current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, the frontlines in 
the war on terror. This money will buy more armored Humvees, more 
ammunition, more fuel, more spare parts. It will upgrade our helicopters 
with the latest equipment, allowing them to fly more safely in the 
dangerous theaters.
    This bill helps America maintain the peace around the world and keep 
our commitments to our allies. It funds construction of three new state-
of-the-art guided missile destroyers to patrol the seas, 42 new F/A-18 
fighter aircraft to guard the skies. It provides $4 billion for new C-17 
strategic air lifters, which will increase our ability to move forces 
quickly over long distances. And $200 million will buy more Predator 
unmanned surveillance aircraft to track and hunt our enemies.
    This bill provides $10 billion for systems to defend against the 
threat from ballistic missiles. Later this year, the first components of 
America's missile defense system will become operational. This will 
fulfill a pledge I made to the American people more than 4 years ago. 
America and our allies face a deadly threat from ballistic missiles 
armed with the world's most dangerous weapons. And we will deploy the 
technologies necessary to protect our people.
    Recent history has shown that threats to our shores can emerge from 
failing states half a world away. By acting early to end a crisis, we 
can make our world safer. That's why this bill provides $95 million to 
help the people of Darfur in western Sudan. Brutal militias there are 
causing human suffering on an immense scale. The new funding will 
provide famine relief, assistance for refugees, and other humanitarian 
aid. Yet no amount of aid can substitute for true and lasting peace. The 
Government of Sudan must stop the violence of Janjaweed militias, and 
all parties must respect the cease-fire and allow the free movement of 
humanitarian workers and supplies.
    Third, this bill meets our commitment to America's Armed Forces by 
preparing them to meet the threats of tomorrow. Our enemies are 
innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking 
about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we. We 
must never stop thinking about how best to defend our country when we 
all must always be forward-thinking.
    Over the past few years, new ideas and new technologies have 
increased the precision of our weapons, reduced battlefield casualties, 
and lessened the toll of war on innocent life. This bill continues that 
progress by funding the technologies that are changing the way we fight 
wars in order to keep the peace, technology such as the Army's Future 
Combat System, which will give every soldier precise tactical 
information in the heat of battle; the Littoral Combat Ship, which will 
increase the reach of our Navy into hostile shores and waterways; the 
versatile and cost-effective Joint Strike Fighter; and wideband 
satellite laser communications that will improve the ability of our 
forces to communicate over great distances.
    I appreciate the solid and bipartisan support of this bill. I 
appreciate both people--people of both parties coming together to 
support our troops. We're doing our duty to the people who are out doing 
their duty to

[[Page 1453]]

defend us and make the world a more peaceful place. The message is 
clear: In a time of conflict and challenge, America stands behind our 
military.
    By taking care of our servicepeople in uniform, by addressing the 
threats of today, by preparing for the threats of a tomorrow, this bill 
will help make America a safer place.
    And so I'm pleased to sign the Defense Appropriations Act for Fiscal 
Year 2005.
    Thank you all for coming.

Note: The President spoke at 9:56 a.m. in Room 350 of the Dwight D. 
Eisenhower Executive Office Building. H.R. 4613, approved August 5, was 
assigned Public Law 108-287.