September 17, 2003
REMARKS BY THE VICE PRESIDENT AT 2003 AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION NATIONAL
CONVENTION
Marriott Ballroom, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
Washington, D.C.
Transcript: Cheney Says Pre-emption Needed to Thwart Terrorism
(Vice president addresses Air Force Association September 17) (2580)
Vice President Dick Cheney says the United States, together with its
allies, is confronting terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan "so that innocent
civilians will not have to confront terrorist violence" anywhere in the
world.
Addressing the annual convention of the Air Force Association in Washington
September 17, Cheney responded to those who question the Bush
administration's policy of taking pre-emptive action against terrorists.
"Make no mistake," he said, "President Bush is acting to protect
the
American people against further attacks, even when that means moving
aggressively against would-be attackers."
The former Cold War deterrence strategy of putting at risk the assets one's
adversary values most is no longer appropriate to the new threat posed by
terrorists, the vice president said, because there is nothing the
terrorists "value highly enough that we can put at risk to keep them from
launching an attack against the United States."
"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," said Cheney. "We cannot wait to act until after
another day like 9/11, or a day far worse."
The United States and its coalition allies, Cheney said, were right to go
after the regimes in Afghanistan and Iraq, since one harbored the al-Qaeda
terrorist group and the other was a state sponsor of terror that had used
weapons of mass destruction and had defied the United Nations' disarmament
mandates for 12 years.
The vice president recounted the progress and successes to date in Iraq,
both in capturing high-ranking members of the former regime and in the
effort to restore infrastructure and services for the good of the Iraqi
people. He also emphasized the political progress being made, noting the
establishment of a national Iraqi Governing Council and functioning
government ministries and village, town and city councils in more than 90
percent of Iraq's municipalities. He paid tribute as well to the efforts
of U.S. allies in the fight against terrorism, specifically in Iraq.
The transcript of Cheney's speech follows:
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Vice President
September 17, 2003
REMARKS BY THE VICE PRESIDENT AT 2003 AIR FORCE ASSOCIATION NATIONAL
CONVENTION
Marriott Ballroom, Marriott Wardman Park Hotel
Washington, D.C.
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 [a] one-star
[general]. 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 55th 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. Nine-eleven 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 transcript)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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See also: http://usinfo.state.gov/regional/nea/iraq/
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