Bush Presses for Missile Shield
Feb. 13, 2001 -- In the aftermath of a pair of military accidents, President Bush is continuing his push for improvements in the armed forces with a visit to a NATO base today.
On the second day of his weeklong series of events focusing on military preparedness, Bush visited the Norfolk Naval Air Station, calling for the need for a National Missile Defense system and urging greater cooperation between the United States and its European allies.
"The dangers ahead confront us all," Bush said while addressing troops this morning. "The defense we build must protect us all. We must extend our peace by expanding our technology."
Hopes of Persuading NATO
NATO allies have expressed reservations about the missile-defense system. But Bush hopes to persuade them of its necessity.
"We will cooperate in the work of peace, we will consult early and candidly with our NATO allies, and we'll expect them to return the same," Bush said. "In diplomacy and technology in missile defense, in fighting warsand, above all, in preventing wars, we must work as one."
The president said he wanted a "new architecture for the defense of America and our allies," in order to keep pace with the changing realities of security policy.
"We must confront the threats that come on a missile," Bush said. "With shared intelligence and enforcement, we must confront the threats that come in a shipping container or in a suitcase. We have no higher priority than the defense of our people against terrorist attack."
Bush gave his speech at Norfolk Naval Air Station because it is the only NATO base on U.S. soil. After arriving, Bush visited the joint forces command and participated in a video teleconferencing battle exercise.
"I had a glimpse of future threats and the technology that will be needed to greet them," the new commander-in-chief said, with flags from the 19 NATO nations behind him as he spoke.
Before delivering his address, Bush asked for a moment of silence in recognition of the six soldiers who died on Monday in an Army helicopter crash in Hawaii.
On Friday, a Navy submarine collided with a Japanese fishing trawler, leaving nine Japanese citizens missing.
Germany Balks at Defense System
The missile-defense system is the most controversial of Bush's defense plans, and the one that has already generated resistance from Russia as well as the U.S.' NATO allies.
Russian leaders have claimed the development of a missile-defense system would violate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which restricts defensive weapons systems.
But Bush's defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld, who attended today's event, has emerged as a fierce proponent of the system, indicating that he thinks the treaty is outdated. Bush and Rumsfeld say the system would guard against potential attacks from smaller nations such as Iraq or North Korea.
However, some key members of NATO countries, including Germany and France, have been critical of the missile shield proposal, saying it will unduly antagonize Russia. They have also expressed doubts about its practicality.
German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer told The Associated Press today the United States should carefully discuss its defense plans with Russia before pressing ahead with the matter.
"It is our substantial interest that two major nuclear powers discuss all the issues related to possible NMD implementation … in a climate of cooperation, not confrontation," said Fischer.
Fischer is due to hold discussions with Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington next week. On Monday, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Powell would meet with Russian foreign minister Igor Ivanov in the near future.
President Clinton put off making a decision on whether the missile shield was worth pursuing after a failed test last summer of one of the system's central components.
Bigger Paychecks
Bush's push for the missile-defense system comes a day after he called for $5.7 billion in new spending on armed forces personnel, including a $1.4 billion military pay raise.
During his remarks this morning, the president received his biggest cheer when promising better military housing.
But the Bush administration has postponed any further increases in defense spending until the Pentagon finishes a wide-ranging review of its strategy.
While the missile-defense project is expected to be quite costly — some estimates place its minimum cost at $50 billion — it is not included in the 2002 budget the White House is expected to submit later this month.
"The first budget I send to Congress will only be a start," Bush said today. "In our broader effort we must put strategy first, then spending."
Bush's decision to request the same $14 billion overall increase in defense spending called for by the Clinton administration has brought about criticism from conservatives who were hoping for a greater financial commitment to the military from the new president.
GOP Sen. John Warner of Virginia, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and a former secretary of the Navy, recently sent a letter to Bush warning that no increase in military funding would have "a significant, negative impact on readiness for this fiscal year and beyond."
But Democrats have also questioned Bush's budget priorities, claiming he cannot afford to implement a large tax cut while building up the military.
On Monday Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut sent a letter to Bush asking him to "reconsider a tax cut that may result in a military less capable of overcoming … new and dangerous threats."
On Wednesday, Bush will continue his tour with a visit to Yeager Field, an Air National Guard base in West Virginia.
Tamara Lipper contributed to this report.