THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, all. (Applause.) Thank you, all.
Please be seated. (Applause.) Please be seated.
Thank you, Mr. Secretary. And thank you for your leadership.
Thank you for your candor. Thank you -- you're doing a fabulous job
on behalf of the American people. It's an honor for me to be here
today with the leaders of our military, the good folks who are serving
our country, to sign the 2003 Defense Authorization bill.
We're a nation at war. America must understand we're at war. But
those who wear the uniform must understand how proud all of America is
for your service to our great country. On behalf of a grateful nation,
I'm here to thank you.
Our military is making good progress in this war. We've liberated
an oppressed and friendless people. We're hunting down the terrorists
all across the globe. We're performing our missions with speed and
skill. You have the strong, united support of this great land. And
this bill should reflect the strong and united support of the United
States Congress.
And I want to thank the members of the Congress who are here on
stage, Senator Warner and Congressman Duncan Hunter. And members of
the Senate and the Congress who are with us, I want to thank you for
your good work on this important legislation.
I appreciate so very much all those who work in the Secretary's
office who worked hard on this bill. I want to thank the Chairmen of
the Joint Chiefs who are here, and the Vice Chairmen are with us, and
those who represent the enlisted personnel of our military.
Most of all, I want to say a word about Bob Stump. Chairman Stump,
who couldn't be with us today, distinguished Chairman of the Armed
Services Committee, who has served our nation well. He's a dedicated
public servant who has decided to retire. And as the Secretary said,
this bill is appropriately named for this fine American. We will miss
him, and we wish Bob and his family all the very best.
I want to thank the service secretaries who are here with us. And
I want to thank you all for coming.
The legislation I sign this afternoon was passed by Congress in a
remarkable spirit of unity. It sets priorities of our Defense
Department in a critical, critical period for our country. Our country
has unprecedented challenges, and we're facing them with unmatched
technology, careful planning and the finest traditions of valor.
We're rewarding the service and sacrifice of our military families
with higher pay, improved facilities and better housing. We're
procuring the best weapons we possibly can and the best equipment,
while adding funds for operations and maintenance, as well. We're
investing in missile defenses and all new technologies we need to gain
every advantage -- every advantage -- in the battlefields of the
future.
And since intelligence is playing a critical role in our ability to
achieve military victory, this new law creates a new high-level
position within the Department of Defense called the Under Secretary
for Intelligence.
This generation of Armed Forces has been given two difficult tasks,
fighting and winning a war; and at the same time, transforming our
military to win the new kind of war. In the first stages of our fight
against terror, we've already seen the future face of warfare, forces
that are more agile and mobile and lethal -- along with weapons that
are smarter and tactics that are more inventive. These priorities are
reflected in this year's budget. You'll see them reflected in every
military budget I submit and sign as your President.
America's military is strong. And that's the way it should be.
Our nation and the world are safer that way. Now and in the future, we
will maintain a military that is second to none. And the greatest
strength of America's military is the cause we all serve. That cause
is freedom in a world at peace. Today that cause is being challenged
by determined enemies. And we will not rest and we will not relent
until our freedom is secure.
Our troops in Afghanistan remain engaged in a difficult and
dangerous mission. We're hunting down trained killers. And that's all
they are -- nothing but a bunch of cold-blooded killers. We're
destroying their weapons. The Secretary reports to me in the White
House that day after day, we're finding giant caches of weapons which
we're destroying. And while we hunt them down -- hunt the killers
down, we'll continue to help the Afghan people, as they work to build
lives of dignity and lives of security. Afghanistan is no longer a
safe haven for hijackers and bomb-makers and assassins. Thanks to the
United States military, the terrorist training camps are closed. Many
terrorists have met their fate in the caves and mountains of
Afghanistan. Others are now in custody.
Yet we know that many terrorists are still at large. They hide and
they plot in over 60 different countries. We face an enemy that's
attacked cities in America, embassies and airplanes in Africa, ships in
the Gulf, tourists in Bali. This enemy lives like a parasite. They
plot in shadows. They prey on failed states. And they ally themselves
with outlawed regimes.
Defeating this enemy requires fighting a different kind of war,
what we call the first war of the 21st century. We're pursuing the
terrorists wherever they dwell. It doesn't matter where they --
where they hide, we're after them, one by one. We follow them wherever
they run. They think they can run; they can't run far enough from the
long arm of justice of the United States. We're freezing their
finances. We're disrupting their plots. We're killing them or
capturing them, one person at a time. That's how you win the first war
of the 21st century -- a war we are going to win. (Applause.)
Some of the successes in this war will make headlines, and
sometimes you won't even know about it. But all the terrorists can be
certain of this: Their hour of justice will come. And that hour has
already arrived for an increasing number of field generals of the
terrorist army. Recently, we took a guy named al Nashiri into
custody. Until last month he was the top al Qaeda operative, the top
al Qaeda leader in the Gulf region. He was plotting and planning. But
today this much is certain -- he won't be executing any more attacks
against the United States and our friends like the attack he mastermind
against the USS Cole.
Success in the war on terror will only come by taking every measure
to protect innocent people from sudden and catastrophic violence. And
we must oppose the threat of such violence from any source. We oppose
the terror network and all who harbor and support the terrorists. And
we oppose a uniquely dangerous regime that possesses the weapons of
mass murder, has used those weapons, and could supply those weapons to
terrorist networks.
Saddam Hussein's regime has a long history of aggression against
his neighbors and hostility towards America. It has a long history of
ties to terrorists. The dictator has a long history of seeking
biological and chemical and nuclear weapons -- even while U.N.
inspectors were present in his country. Now the world has told him the
game is over. The U.N. Security Council, the NATO Alliance and the
United States are united -- Saddam Hussein will fully disarm himself
of weapons of mass destruction. And if he does not, the United States
will lead a coalition to disarm him.
As the U.N. weapons inspections process gets underway, we must
remember that inspections will not -- will only work -- will only
work if Iraq fully complies. You see, the inspectors are not in Iraq
to play hide and seek with Mr. Saddam Hussein. Inspectors do not have
the duty or the ability to uncover terrible weapons hidden in a vast
country. The responsibility of inspectors is simply to confirm the
evidence of voluntary and total disarmament. It is Saddam Hussein who
has the responsibility to provide that evidence as directed, and in
full. Any act of delay, deception, or defiance will prove that Saddam
Hussein has not adopted the path of compliance and has rejected the
path of peace.
In the inspections process, the United States will be making one
judgment: Has Saddam Hussein changed his behavior of the last 11
years? Has he decided to cooperate willingly and comply completely, or
has he not? So far the signs are not encouraging. A regime that fires
upon American and British pilots is not taking the path of compliance.
A regime that sends letters filled with protests and falsehoods is not
taking the path of compliance.
On or before the 8th of December, Iraq must provide a full and
accurate declaration of its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic
missile programs. That declaration must be credible and complete, or
the Iraqi dictator will have demonstrated to the world once again that
he has chosen not to change his behavior.
Americans seek peace in this world. We're a peaceful nation. War
is the last option for confronting threats. Yet the temporary peace of
denial and looking away from danger would only be a prelude to broader
war and greater horror. America will confront gathering dangers early,
before our options become limited and desperate. By showing our
resolve today, we are building a future of peace.
In the decisions and missions to come, our military will carry the
values of America and the hopes of the world. The people of Iraq, like
all human beings, deserve their freedom. And the people of
Afghanistan -- with the help of the United States Armed Forces --
have gained their freedom.
One guardsman from Florida tells of meeting a member of the new
Afghan national army. This Afghan soldier said he enlisted to honor
the memory of this brother who was killed by the Taliban, and to ensure
that his own son would live in freedom. The Florida guardsman wrote
home that "being here makes me realize that people are giving up their
lives to have a fraction of the freedoms we take for granted." He said
taking -- "talking to one soldier made me realize how lucky I am to
have been born in the United States of America."
"I'm honored to have met an Afghan patriot," he wrote. Every time
I visit this building or any American base around the world, I'm
honored to meet American patriots. The men and women of our military
bring credit to our flag and security to our country. On behalf of the
American people I thank you for all you've done, for all you will do in
the cause of freedom and the cause of peace.
And now I'm pleased to sign the Bob Stump National Defense
Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2003. (Applause.)