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Issues - Defense A Period of Consequences "Today our military is still organized more for Cold War threats than for the challenges of a new century… There is almost no relationship between our budget priorities and a strategic vision. The last seven years have been wasted in inertia and idle talk. Now we must shape the future with new concepts, new strategies, new resolve… We are entering ‘a period of consequences.’" —Governor George W. Bush

Executive Summary Governor Bush believes that a strong, capable and modern military is essential to defend our nation, advance U.S. interests, and extend our peace. That is why he is devoting the first in a series of speeches on national security and foreign policy to transforming America’s military. As President, George W. Bush will set three goals for our nation’s defense. To Renew the Bond of Trust Between the President and the Military, Governor Bush will: Respect the tradition and culture of the military, while changing its structure. Increase by $1 billion the currently planned military pay raise to encourage the best and brightest to enlist – and reenlist – in the armed forces. Renovate substandard military housing and improve military training. Maintain longstanding U.S. commitments, but order an immediate review of overseas deployments in dozens of countries, with the aim of replacing uncertain missions with well-defined objectives. To Defend the American Homeland, Governor Bush will: Deter terrorist attacks by ensuring that every group or nation understands that if they sponsor such attacks, the U.S. response will be devastating. Deploy both national and theater anti-ballistic missile defenses, as soon as possible. Amend the ABM Treaty, or, if Russia fails to agree, withdraw from it. Strengthen our intelligence community’s ability to detect terrorist threats, and develop long-range strike capabilities to eliminate such threats before they arise. Promote cooperation with our allies, who should share the burden of defense. To Begin to Create the Military of the Future, Governor Bush will: Order a comprehensive military review to develop a new architecture for American defense designed to meet the challenges of the next century. Seize the opportunity to skip a generation of weapons, not merely improving existing systems, but replacing them with a new generation of technology: land forces that are lighter but more lethal, air power – manned or unmanned – that can accurately strike across long distances, and naval power that packs a bigger punch in smaller platforms. Encourage a spirit of innovation and experimentation within the military. Earmark at least 20 percent of the procurement budget for acquisition programs that propel America generations ahead in military technology. Increase defense R&D spending by at least $20 billion from FY2002 to FY2006.

The State of Our Armed Forces: Overextended and Unprepared for the Future "The outcome of great battles is often determined by decisions on funding and technology made decades before, in the quiet days of peace. But these choices on spending and strategy either support the young men and women who must fight the future’s wars – or betray their lives and squander their valor." — Governor George W. Bush Governor Bush believes that a strong, capable and modern military is the foundation of the peace we enjoy today and hope to extend for future generations. Unfortunately, the Clinton-Gore Administration has presided over a debilitating combination of increased troop deployments and decreased defense spending: Since the end of the Cold War, overseas deployments of U.S. troops have increased significantly. Indeed, during the Clinton-Gore Administration, the U.S. military has undertaken an average of one new deployment every nine weeks. In the same period, U.S. defense spending has declined by nearly 40 percent. It is now at its lowest level as a percentage of GNP than at any time since 1940. This has led to what the Administration’s own Under Secretary of Defense has called a budgetary "death spiral" – pouring more and more money into older and older equipment, draining funds from modernization. Thus, U.S. forces are overused and underfunded precisely when they are confronted by a host of new threats and challenges: the spread of weapons of mass destruction, the rise of cyberterrorism, the proliferation of missile technology. The result is damaged morale, and a military force unprepared to deal with the threats of a new century. Governor Bush believes that America’s military is faced with a moment of opportunity – an opportunity to transform itself, and thus ensure peace for generations. Seizing this opportunity will require more spending, but equally as important, spending more wisely. The right choices must be made to repair morale, protect America, and create a military capable of meeting the challenges of the 21st Century. Thus, as President, Governor Bush will: Renew the bond of trust between the President and the military by increasing pay, improving housing, and insisting that deployments have well-defined objectives; Defend the American people against missiles and terrorists; and Begin to create the military of the future – lethal, agile, easier to deploy – by capitalizing on new technologies to skip beyond marginal improvements to a new generation of weapons and systems. In implementing these goals, Governor Bush will challenge the military to transform itself. He will respect the military’s tradition and culture, while changing its structure and encouraging a spirit of innovation.

Goal #1 - Renew the Bond of Trust Between the President and the Military "I have great faith in those who serve our nation – in the temper of their will and the quality of their spirit. These are men and women who love their country more than their comfort. Men and women who have never failed us, wherever there is honor to be earned, or interests defended. But even the highest morale is eventually undermined by back-to-back deployments, poor pay, shortages of spare parts and equipment, and rapidly declining readiness… A volunteer military has only two paths. It can lower its standards to fill its ranks. Or it can inspire the best and brightest to join and stay." —Governor George W. Bush The current Administration’s combination of frequent but unfocused deployments and insufficient resources has led to lower morale and declining enlistment and reenlistment. Indeed, no aspect of the current neglect of the nation’s armed forces is more worrisome than the effect on the men and women in uniform – and their families – who are forced to accept low pay and inadequate housing: The overall gap between civilian and military pay stands at more than 13%. According to the most recent survey, almost 12,000 members of the armed forces have been forced to rely on food stamps; others receive Women, Infants and Children funding or Army Emergency Relief – or depend on their parents. One-third of military families are housed in approximately 320,000 units, 66% of which are substandard, according to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In addition to dealing with low pay and poor housing, the men and women of the military are frequently subjected to deployments that are too often open-ended and lacking in clear objectives. This has produced serious morale problems that have triggered a growing crisis in retention and a shortage of skilled personnel: In 1998, the Air Force missed its reenlistment goals for the first time in almost two decades. Earlier this year, it was estimated that the Air Force would be 700 pilots short for FY1999 and 2,000 pilots short for FY2002. The Army and the Navy were expected to face shortfalls in FY1999 of 6,700 and 18,000 personnel, respectively. As President, Governor Bush will renew the bond of trust between the Oval Office and America’s men and women in uniform. Much as Ronald Reagan restored the attraction of military life for individuals and families, Governor Bush will focus on making the military a magnet for the best and brightest in America. Specifically, as President he will: Increase by $1 Billion the Planned Military Pay Raise: In a Bush Administration, military pay will be increased by $1 billion – or an average of about $750 per active duty service member – over and above the pay increase recently passed by Congress. These additional funds will help narrow the overall difference in compensation between the armed forces and the civilian sector. Governor Bush will also increase targeted reenlistment bonuses and special pay for critical specialties. This will further reduce the pay gap for individuals with skills that are in high demand, such as pilots, computer programmers, and engineers. Improve Military Housing: As President, Governor Bush will work with Congress to ensure that service members and their families no longer have to tolerate substandard housing. In some cases, this will involve renovation or construction of barracks or family housing units. In other cases, it will mean increasing basic housing allowances, especially in high cost areas. Improve Military Training: Despite recent increases, unfunded requirements remain in training center facilities, equipment and operations. As President, Governor Bush will work with Congress to ensure that such shortfalls are addressed and the decline in the quality and level of training of our men and women in uniform is reversed. Order an Immediate Review of Overseas Deployments: As President, Governor Bush will pledge to maintain longstanding commitments, but will order a review of other overseas deployments. To improve morale and preserve resources for important interests, diffuse commitments will be replaced with focused ones. National security planners will scrutinize open-ended deployments, reassess U.S. goals, and ascertain whether they can be met. For example, as he has previously stated, he will work hard as President for political solutions that allow an orderly and timely withdrawal from places like Kosovo and Bosnia.

Goal #2 - Defense the American Homeland "My second goal is to build America’s defenses on the troubled frontiers of technology and terror. The protection of America itself will assume a high priority in a new century. Once a strategic afterthought, homeland defense has become an urgent duty…I will have a solemn obligation to protect the American people and our allies, not to protect arms control agreements signed almost 30 years ago." —Governor George W. Bush The second pillar of Governor Bush’s plan for America’s defense is to protect America itself from attack. Today, over two dozen countries have ballistic missiles. A number of them – including North Korea, Iran, and Iraq – are developing missiles that may ultimately reach intercontinental range. Given this new reality, the U.S. government can no longer afford to drag its feet on building and deploying a missile defense system; nor can it continue to allow Cold War arms control agreements to restrict America’s ability to defend itself and its allies. Governor Bush also understands that the defense of our homeland involves much more than protection against missiles. A Congressionally appointed blue-ribbon commission recently concluded that the United States is unprepared to counter the rampant proliferation of nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons around the world. More important, the United States remains vulnerable to a state or terrorist group using those weapons. To improve the nation’s security against missile attack and bolster America’s homeland defense, Governor Bush will: Deter Attacks Against the United States: As President, Governor Bush will deter terrorist attacks by ensuring that every group or nation understands that if they sponsor such attacks, America’s response will be devastating. Deploy Ballistic Missile Defenses: Governor Bush will accelerate research on, and deployment of, both national and theater missile defenses, as soon as possible. Amend the ABM Treaty, or Withdraw From It: The United States should offer Russia necessary amendments to the Cold War-era Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty to permit deployment of effective national and theater missile defenses. If Russia refuses those changes, the United States should give prompt notice, under the treaty, that we will withdraw from it. Strengthen U.S. Intelligence Capabilities: As President, Governor Bush will make it a priority to strengthen U.S. intelligence resources, focusing on human intelligence and the early detection of threats to the homeland. Once such threats are detected, the best defense will be a good offense, including the use of Special Operations Forces and long-range strike capabilities. Improve Cooperation with U.S. Allies: To counter emerging threats, the United States will need improved cooperation with its allies. They face many of the same threats as the United States, and should share in the burden of defense.

Goal #3 - Begin Creating the Military of the Future "My third goal is to take advantage of a tremendous opportunity – given few nations in history – to extend the current peace into the far realm of the future. A chance to project America’s peaceful influence, not just across the world, but across the years. This opportunity is created by a revolution in the technology of war… And this revolution perfectly matches the strengths of our country – the skill of our people and the superiority of our technology. The best way to keep the peace is to redefine war on our terms." —Governor George W. Bush The third part of Governor Bush’s plan for the nation’s defense is to use the present window of relative peace to skip a generation of weapons systems and strategies. Today our military is still organized more for Cold War threats than for the challenges of a new century. What is needed is a new architecture for American defense – an architecture that will permit the U.S. to project power swiftly under new conditions. As in the past, the United States will need modern and well-trained forces, sufficient in size to project power rapidly to key regions of the world. Yet, the need to project power will require very different kinds of forces from those in the past: First, in the future, adversaries with access to ballistic and cruise missiles, weapons of mass destruction, and other technologies will attempt to deny the United States the enormous advantages of its forward bases and logistics capabilities. Second, enemy tactics against American forces will likely be directed at the weakest links in our extension of power. Airfields and ports critical to the flow of American forces and materiel will be targeted. Third, the enemy might choose environments in which to fight where American forces that depend on large amounts of logistical support will be at a disadvantage. To meet such future challenges, Governor Bush believes that our military must develop the capability for very different sorts of forces for power projection. Therefore, as President, Governor Bush will: Order a Review of U.S. Military Force Structure, Strategy, and Procurement: The review will be conducted by a leadership team under the Secretary of Defense that Governor Bush will charge with creating the military of the future – lethal, agile, easier to deploy. While some existing weapons will need to be modernized, the larger goal will be to skip a generation of technology, replacing existing systems with new technologies and strategies: Land Forces. On land, U.S. heavy armored forces must be lighter, and light forces must be made more lethal; all must be easier to deploy. Naval Forces. On the seas, U.S. carriers must be complemented by capable smaller platforms. That is why Governor Bush is committed to pursue promising ideas such as the arsenal ship – a stealthy ship loaded with long-range missiles able to destroy targets accurately from great distances. Air Power. In the air, a larger portion of the force of the future must be able to strike from across the world with pinpoint accuracy using long-range aircraft – both manned and unmanned. Thus, as President, Governor Bush will order a review of the entire U.S. aircraft program, encompassing not only ongoing shorter-range fighter programs, but also bomber and support aircraft needs. Space and Information Systems. The military of tomorrow must also be as adept at operating in space and the information environment as it has been on land, sea, and in the air. Space-based assets will aid in projecting power and protecting the homeland. In addition, America must be prepared not only to defend its vulnerable infrastructure against cyber attacks, but also to develop offensive information warfare capabilities to be used against its enemies. Once the comprehensive review is complete, Governor Bush will move aggressively to create the military of the future. Specifically, he will: Earmark at Least 20 Percent of the Procurement Budget to Address Future Challenges: The military’s budget priorities must match the new strategic vision. As President, Governor Bush will direct the Secretary of Defense to earmark at least 20 percent of the total procurement budget for acquisition programs that propel America generations ahead in military technology. To promote needed inter-service cooperation and reduce costly redundancy, the Secretary of Defense, not the individual services, will be charged with setting the spending priorities. Encourage a Spirit of Innovation: Developing and leading the military of the future will require a new spirit of innovation. Thus, as President, Governor Bush will encourage a culture of command, and ensure that visionary leaders are recognized and promoted. Increase Defense R&D Spending by at Least $20 Billion: Transforming the military and realizing the promise of new technology, will require a substantially greater emphasis on research and development. Thus, R&D spending will be increased by at least $20 billion from FY2002 to FY2006. Furthermore, to promote a culture of innovation, the military will be strongly encouraged to "wildcat"— to try various methods and technology to solve operational problems. Military commanders and service chiefs will be judged on how well they experiment to meet the new operational challenges envisioned in the future. Ask Congress to Join in Creating a New Strategic Vision: As President, Governor Bush will reach out to reform-minded members of Congress. But he will also confront the Congress when it uses the defense budget as a source of pork, patronage, or any other purpose that does not further the mission of our armed forces.