For Immediate Release
Office of the Vice President
September 17, 2003
Vice President's Remarks at 2003 Air Force Convention
Marriott Ballroom, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
Washington, D.C.
10:53 A.M. EDT
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you all for
that welcome. And thank you very much, Jim. It's a privilege to be
here today to address such a distinguished group of leaders and air and
space enthusiasts. I'm also delighted today to spend a little time
with my old friend General John Jumper. John was my senior military
assistant many years ago when I was Secretary of Defense, and he was
one-star. And he claims credit for teaching everything I know, and
he's right. (Laughter).
But it's delighted - a pleasure for me to be back with so many
people committed to the Air Force and all that you've meant to our
nation. I'm also pleased today to have the opportunity to spend some
time with the representatives of so many nations who've been deeply
involved in the global war on terror. I want to welcome all of you to
Washington.
I also want to commend the Air Force Association for the tremendous
role that you've played in advocating air and space power for the
nation. Tomorrow is the Air Force's 56th birthday, and its role in
defending the peace and defeating our adversaries has never been more
important than it is today.
Six days ago, America commemorated the second anniversary of the
September 11th attack on our country - a watershed event in American
history. The fires of September 11th signaled the start of a new war -
and the lessons of September 11th have a profound effect on the way the
United States is fighting that war.
I think it's accurate to say, for all Americans, the weeks and
months since 9/11 have been dominated by that event. It's certainly
had a huge impact on all of us working in the administration. 9/11
demonstrated how vulnerable we are as a nation - how it was possible
for terrorists to take advantage of our open borders and open society
and use them against us. We saw that it was relatively easy for a
small number of terrorists to launch an attack and kill some 3,000
Americans in a couple of hours in New York City, Washington and
Pennsylvania.
We also began to understand, particularly from the evidence that we
uncovered in Afghanistan, that our enemies are determined to acquire
weapons of mass destruction - chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
And we have every reason to believe that if they succeed, they will use
them, launching attacks far more deadly than anything we've ever
experienced.
To counter these threats, we have been forced to think anew about
how we defend our country, and about what constitutes a viable National
Security Strategy for the nation. We've come to realize that if we are
to protect the American people against determined enemies, we cannot
rely upon the old Cold War remedies. The kind of strategy we used
against the Soviet Union during the Cold War, where we put at risk
those things they valued in order to deter them from ever launching an
attack against the United States, simply will not work where terrorists
are concerned. There is nothing they value highly enough that we can
put at risk to keep them from launching an attack against the United
States. So no treaty or arms control agreement or strategy of
deterrence will end this conflict. This is a new kind of war, against
a new kind of enemy. We must fight this war on many fronts. And we
must not relent until we prevail.
We are working aggressively to toughen our defenses here at home.
We've created the Department of Homeland Security - the largest
reorganization of the federal government in over 50 years - and we've
taken other unprecedented measures to make America a tougher target.
But we know that a good defense is not enough. The problem with
terrorist organizations is that even if you build defenses that are 99
percent successful, the 1 percent that gets through can still kill
you. We need a strategy that puts us on the offense, that lets us go
after those who pose a threat to the United States or our friends and
allies - a strategy that allows us to destroy the terrorists before
they can launch attacks against us. We cannot wait to act until after
another day like 9/11, or a day far worse. And a good part of our new
strategy is based upon the President's determination to change the way
we think about states that sponsor terror.
Prior to 9/11, too many nations tended to draw a distinction
between terrorist groups and the states that provided these groups with
support, sanctuary and safe harbor. They were unwilling to hold these
terror-sponsoring states accountable for their actions.
After 9/11, President Bush decided that the distinction between the
terrorists and their sponsors could no longer be permitted to stand.
The Bush doctrine makes clear that those states that support
terrorists, or provide sanctuary for terrorists, are just as guilty as
the terrorists themselves of the acts they commit. So in addition to
going after the terrorists, we are also taking on states that sponsor
terror.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban regime harbored al Qaeda and brutalized
an entire population. That regime is no more. In Iraq, where a
vicious dictator built, possessed and used weapons of mass destruction,
supported terrorists, and defied the clear demands of the U.N. Security
Council for 12 years, the United States launched one of the most
extraordinary military campaigns in history. And that regime is no
more. (Applause.)
Some people - both in this nation and abroad - have questions about
that strategy. They suggest that somehow it's wrong for us to strike
before an enemy strikes us. But as President Bush said, "If the threat
is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and
all recriminations, would come too late." Make no mistake: President
Bush is acting to protect the American people against further attacks,
even when that means moving aggressively against would-be attackers.
So the war on terror continues. It's a war being fought all around
the globe - witness the attacks that have already occurred in New York
and Washington, but also in Bali, Mombassa, Riyadh, Casablanca,
Jakarta, Jerusalem, Bombay, Baghdad and Najaf. It's a war that
involves not just the United States - but all of the nations of the
civilized world. And it is a war that will continue well into the
foreseeable future.
In this global war on terror, U.S. and allied forces are heavily
engaged when and where they need to be, especially in Afghanistan and
Iraq. We will stay in Afghanistan and Iraq to make absolutely certain
the job is done before we move on.
Our military is confronting the terrorists, along with our allies,
in Iraq and Afghanistan so that innocent civilians will not have to
confront terrorist violence in Washington or London or anywhere else in
the world.
We are working with the people of Iraq to create a free,
functioning and prosperous society - and we're making progress. Most
of Iraq today is relatively stable and quiet. There are still on-going
incidents, attacks on coalition forces and on others, either from
remnants of the old regime or from terrorists, many of whom were in
Iraq before the war, and some of whom have arrived since the conclusion
of major combat operations. There are two main sources of terror that
coalition forces must deal with, and we are. We have already captured
or killed 42 of the 55 most wanted former Iraqi leaders, and with the
growing number of tips we're receiving from the Iraqi people
themselves, it's only a matter of time until we get the rest of them.
According to General Abizaid, the actual number of daily incidents this
month is significantly below what it was last month, and we're
determined to make sure those numbers keep going in the right
direction.
We're also working very aggressively to restore sovereignty and
authority to the Iraqi people. We have created a 25-person Governing
Council, made up of representatives of Iraq's diverse ethnic groups.
Iraqis are now in charge of each ministry in the government. Over 90
percent of the cities and towns and villages of Iraq are now governed
by local councils. Iraq's schools are open; Iraq's hospitals are
functioning. We're making major progress in restoring electricity.
We're rebuilding the oil system and the infrastructure of the country.
In the months ahead, the Iraqis will draft a new constitution, for
themselves, and when this constitution has been ratified by the Iraqi
people, they will enjoy free and fair elections. Then the coalition
will yield its remaining authority to a sovereign Iraqi government.
(Applause.)
The United States is not acting alone in Iraq. Thirty countries
have contributed more than 20,000 troops to help maintain security.
And it's important to remember that the second largest security
contingent in Iraq today -- right behind the United States -- consists
of some 55,000 Iraqis who have now been recruited and are being trained
and serving as civil defense forces, in the police force, and as border
guards. We are asking other countries to help build a free Iraq, as
well. And we're working with the United Nations on a new Security
Council resolution authorizing the creation of additional multinational
forces in Iraq. Today, Iraq has become a central front in the war on
terror, and every civilized nation has a vital stake in Iraq's
successful transition to what the terrorists hate and fear most: a free
society that respects human dignity and upholds human rights, and that
can inspire change and hope throughout the Middle East.
The war on terror is not without sacrifice. Nearly 400 of our
troops have already given their lives during this war since 9/11. And
our allies, obviously, have also suffered casualties. But Americans
will never forget that we lost some 3,000 of our fellow citizens right
here at home on 9/11. We will be much more secure if we aggressively
go after the terrorists - and after the nations and the mechanisms that
support them - than if we lay back and wait for them to strike us again
here in the United States.
In the battles of Iraq and Afghanistan and in other fronts in the
war on terror, America's Air Force has played a crucial role, and it
will continue to play a crucial role in the battles to come. The Air
Force's global reach enables us to project our power anywhere in the
world within a matter of hours. Its new tactics and precision weapons
help us achieve our military objectives while minimizing collateral
damage. It provides umbrella coverage for the defense of our
homeland. In Operation Iraqi Freedom, advances in radar technology,
demonstrated by Joint Stars, enabled us to carry on offensive
operations even in the midst of a major dust storm. More than 40 Air
Force satellites provided precise surveillance and navigation
information to coalition forces. And close coordination between ground
and air operations was, indeed, a major factor in our victory. As a
former Secretary of Defense, I have never been more proud of the men
and women of the United States Air Force. We owe them a great deal.
(Applause.)
We also owe our allies in Operation Iraqi Freedom a great deal.
Coalition partners were instrumental in shaping the conduct of air
operations during the war. British and Australian planners helped
devise a strategy and process for going after Iraqi SCUDs -- and this
same process was adopted as the heart of our overall time-sensitive
targeting process used with devastating success throughout Iraq.
Today, our allies continue to play a key role in the war on
terror. The United States is part of a worldwide coalition that is
taking terrorists into custody, freezing terrorist assets, and
providing military forces and other support when necessary. We're
making steady progress. Many of the senior al-Qaeda leaders involved
in planning or carrying out 9/11 have been either captured or killed.
More than 1,400 terrorist accounts around the world have been frozen or
seized, and terrorist networks have lost access to some $200 million.
Most recently, we captured a major terrorist known as Hambali, who was
a close associate of the September 11th mastermind, Khalid Shaykh
Muhammad, suspected of planning the attack in Bali, and other attacks
of terror.
The work goes on. The United States is grateful for the fine
allies and tremendous friends who have joined this effort. It is a
struggle against evil -- against an enemy that rejoices in the murder
of innocent, unsuspecting human beings. That is why people in every
part of the world, and of all faiths, stand together against this foe.
That is why we will continue to stop the terrorists in their plotting
and training, and bring them to justice. And that is why we can settle
for nothing less than total victory. Thank you very much. (Applause.)
END 11:10 A.M. EDT
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