Bush Announces 'Priority' on Military
W A S H I N G T O N, Feb. 10 -- Visiting troops and assessing battlereadiness, President Bush moves out of the capital in the comingweek to display concern for troop morale and the effectiveness ofcombat weapons.
Calling national security his greatest responsibility aspresident, Bush announced he will visit soldiers at Fort Stewart,Ga.; meet with military reservists in West Virginia and tour theheadquarters of the Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, Va.
The aim, he said in his weekly radio address today, is "tosignal the priority I place on our military."
"Our nation's ideals inspire the world, but our nation's shipsand planes and armies must defend these ideals and sustain ourallies and friends," the president said.
Bush earlier directed the Pentagon to review how the nucleararsenal might be cut as part of a strategy to win allied approvalfor a U.S. national defense against ballistic missiles.
He also affirmed that he would not ask Congress for an "earlysupplemental," or an add-on to the current $297 billion Pentagonbudget. But that leaves open the prospect that he will instead seekadditional money in the spring or summer.
In his radio talk, Bush said stealth and speed will matter morein future military engagements than the size of the force thenation employs.
"We must make sure that our country, itself, is protected fromattack from ballistic missiles and high-tech terrorists," he said.
On the Road
Bush said he will use his visit to Fort Stewart on Monday to"announce meaningful increases in funding to improve the lives ofour men and women in uniform." During the election campaign, Bushpledged to add $1 billion for military pay raises.
Visiting Norfolk on Tuesday, the president plans to take a lookat "the next generation of military weapons."
On Wednesday, he turns his attention to military reservists,flying to Charleston, W.Va., to meet with members of reserve andNational Guard units.
The next day, Bush will meet with Secretary of State ColinPowell before embarking Friday on his first foreign trip, a flightsouth of the border for talks with Mexico's new president, VicenteFox.
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