For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 26, 2001
Remarks by the President and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld Swearing-In Ceremony
The Oval Office
1:23 P.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: It's a great honor
to welcome Secretary Rumsfeld and his wife and family here to the Oval
Office. Thank you all for coming.
In swearing-in Don Rumsfeld, we have just
sworn in a leader of exceptional strength and ability and
vision. And I'm grateful that he has returned to service to
our country.
Don and I have set three clear goals to guide
American defense policy. First, we will strengthen the bond of trust
between the American people and those who wear our nation's
uniform. We'll give them the tools they need and the respect
they deserve.
Second, we will work to defend our people and
our allies against growing threats: the threats of missiles;
information warfare; the threats of biological, chemical and nuclear
weapons. We will confront the new threats of a new century.
Third, we will begin creating the military of
the future, one that takes full advantage of revolutionary new
technologies. We will promote the peace by redefining the
way wars will be fought. These are great and exciting
objectives, and our new Secretary of Defense is uniquely qualified to
accomplish them.
As a former Navy pilot, Don Rumsfeld
understands that if we ever send our forces into harm's way we must
send them fully prepared and equipped for the dangers they
face. As a highly successful businessman, he understands
that we must modernize and transform the business of defense, getting
the value for our taxpayers' money. He is willing to
challenge the status quo inside the Pentagon.
As the head of the National Commission on
Ballistic Missile Threats, he is the among the country's most informed
experts on this vital issue. As a former congressman, he understands
the need to work closely with the Congress. As a former
White House Chief of Staff, as a former Secretary of Defense, he
understands what it takes to be a leader.
This is an exceptional history of service, and
Don Rumsfeld is an exceptional man with integrity and honesty as a
cornerstone of his foundation.
Mr. Secretary, congratulations.
SECRETARY RUMSFELD: Thank you very
much. Mr. President, Mr. Vice President, I thank you so much
for the confidence you have placed in me, for the honor you do me, and
for giving me the opportunity, as you said one day, to serve as
Secretary of Defense again. (Laughter.)
I have thought a good deal about the remarks
you have made during the course of the campaign and since your
election; and as you know, I share your hopes and your expectations for
the Department of Defense and for the Armed Forces of the United States
of America. I am an enthusiastic supporter of those goals.
I listened to your Inaugural Address with a
great deal of interest and pleasure, and congratulate you on
it. It is something I think all of us would do well to
reread from time to time. It carries an important message
about you and about our country and about your administration.
I know that Dick remembers this, when we
served in the White House there was a man around quite a bit named
Bryce Harlow, and he always said that it's important for people who
work in this house to leave it better than they found it. I
am proud to be working for someone who will do that, and I know you
will.
Thank you very much.
END
1:27 P.M. EST
|