On U.S. Global Leadership
"The world needs America’s strength and leadership, and
America’s armed forces need better equipment, better training,
and better pay. We will give our military the means to keep the
peace, and we will give it one thing more: a commander-in-chief
who respects our men and women in uniform, and a commander-in-chief
who earns their respect."
On U.S. Military Intervention
"A generation shaped by Vietnam must remember the lessons of
Vietnam. When America uses force in the world, the cause must be
just, the goal must be clear, and the victory must be overwhelming."
Bush promises to:
On Defense Spending
"U.S. defense spending has declined by nearly 40 percent [under
the current administration] and is now at its lowest levels as a
percentage of the Gross National Product than at any time since
1940. This has led to what the [current] undersecretary of defense
termed a ‘ budgetary death spiral,’ — pouring
more and more money into older and older equipment, draining funds
away from modernization, and helping to cause lower morale and problems
with retention and recruiting.
"We have asked our servicemen and women to do too much with
too little. ...
"Even the highest morale is eventually undermined by back-to-back
deployments, poor pay, shortages of spare parts and equipment, and
rapidly declining readiness. I make this pledge to our men and women
in arms:
As president, I will preserve American power for American interests.
And I will treat American soldiers with the dignity and respect
they have earned."
Bush promises to:
On Arms Control
"I will work to reduce nuclear weapons and nuclear tension
in the world—to turn these years of influence into decades
of peace. And my administration will deploy missile defenses to
guard against attack and blackmail. Now is the time, not to defend
outdated treaties, but to defend the American people.
"The premises of Cold War nuclear targeting should no longer
dictate the size of our arsenal."
Bush proposes building a national missile defense system that would
cover all 50 states and could be extended to protect allies in Europe,
the Mideast and Asia.
On ‘Rogue’ States
"There’s broad agreement that our nation needs a new
approach to nuclear security that matches a new era. When it comes
to nuclear weapons, the world has changed faster than U.S. policy.
The emerging security threats to the United States, to its friends
and allies, and even to Russia, now come from rogue states, terrorist
groups and other adversaries seeking weapons of mass destruction.
It is time to leave the Cold War behind. America must build effective
missile defenses based on the best available options at the earliest
possible date. It is possible to build a missile defense and diffuse
confrontation with Russia. America should do both. I will never
reduce the levels of the nuclear stockpile of the U.S. to a position
where we jeopardize our safety and security. And no, I don’t
support the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty."
On Lessons From Vietnam
"Our nation should be slow to engage troops. But when we do
so, we must do so with ferocity. We must not go into a conflict
unless we go in committed to win. We can never again ask the military
to fight a political war. If America’s strategic interests
are at stake, if diplomacy fails, if no other option will accomplish
the objective, the commander in chief must define the mission and
allow the military to achieve it."
On Security at National Labs
"America’s nuclear security should not be a matter of
lost and found."
"In my administration, our national labs will be secure again,
our vital information will be sealed again, our nuclear secrets
will be safe again."
On the Commander in Chief
"The role of the commander in chief is to clearly define what
the mission of the military is. The mission of the military is to
fight and be able to win war, and therefore prevent war from happening
in the first place. The commander in chief must let the general
officers understand what the goal is and ask them to prepare a military
of high morale and high standing. The generals [decide] the best
way for us to prepare our military for the mission."
"When I’m the president ... if I ever commit troops,
I’m going to do so with one thing in mind. And that’s
to win. To win in a fashion that not only achieves victory, but
gets us out of the theater in quick order."
On Dealing With Terrorism
"This is still a world of terror and missiles and madmen. We
are challenged by aging weapons and failing intelligence. I will
rebuild our military power—because a dangerous world still
requires a sharpened sword. I will move quickly to defend our people
and our allies against missiles and blackmail. And I will have a
foreign policy with a touch of iron—driven by American values
and American interests."
Source: Issues2000.org