[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 48 (Monday, December 3, 2007)]
[Pages 1541-1542]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks Following a Briefing by Senior Department of Defense Officials 
in Arlington, Virginia

November 29, 2007

    Good afternoon. Thanks for coming. I just finished briefings with 
Secretary Gates, Deputy Secretary England, Admiral Mullen, and the Joint 
Chiefs. We discussed the long-term needs of our military services and 
the importance of progressing with modernization.
    The men and women of this Department, the Department of Defense, are 
helping to carry out the Government's most important duty: protecting 
the American people. Every day, they confront America's enemies. Every 
day, they work to stop the spread of dangerous weapons. And every day, 
they guard against those seeking to bring another day of destruction to 
our shores. The missions of this Department are essential to saving 
American lives, and they are too important to be disrupted or delayed or 
put at risk.
    Beginning in February, I submitted detailed funding requests to the 
United States Congress to fund operations in the war on terror. Our 
military has waited on these funds for months. The funds include money 
to carry out combat operations against the enemy in Afghanistan and 
Iraq; they include

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money to train the Afghan and Iraqi security forces to take on more 
responsibility for the defense of their countries; they include money 
for intelligence operations to protect our troops on the battlefield.
    Pentagon officials have warned Congress that the continued delay in 
funding our troops will soon begin to have a damaging impact on the 
operations of this Department. The warning has been laid out for the 
United States Congress to hear.
    Recently, Secretary Gates sought to clear up any misperception that 
the Department can fund our troops for an indefinite period simply by 
shifting money around. In fact, Congress limits how much money can be 
moved from one account to the other. Secretary Gates has already 
notified Congress that he will transfer money from accounts used to fund 
other activities of the military services to pay for current operations 
in Iraq and Afghanistan--and no more money can be moved. So he has 
directed the Army and Marine Corps to develop a plan to lay off civilian 
employees, to terminate contracts, and to prepare our military bases 
across the country for reduced operations. These are contingency steps 
that a prudent manager must take.
    Secretary Gates and America's senior military officials have made a 
reasoned case to Congress for the funds they need to keep the military 
running. They have carefully explained the need to plan prudently should 
those funds not be forthcoming. Secretary Gates puts it this way: ``The 
Defense Department is like the world's biggest supertanker. It cannot 
turn on a dime, and I cannot steer it like a skiff.''
    The American people expect us to work together to support our 
troops. That's what they want. They do not want the Government to create 
needless uncertainty for those defending our country and uncertainty for 
their families. They do not want disputes in Washington to undermine our 
troops in Iraq just as they're seeing clear signs of success.
    Here in Washington, leaders have a responsibility to send the right 
message to the rest of the world. Let us tell our enemies that America 
will do what it takes to defeat them. Let us tell Afghans and Iraqis 
that we will stand with them as they take the fight to our common 
enemies. Let us tell our men and women in uniform that we will give them 
what they need to succeed in their missions, without strings and without 
delay.
    I ask Congress to provide this essential funding to our troops 
before the Members leave on their Christmas vacation. And I thank the 
members of this Department for their hard work, their sacrifice, their 
courage, and their dedication to peace.
    God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 3:59 p.m. at the Pentagon.