Bush Promotes Agenda For Improving Troop Morale And Investing In

Military Research And Development

ALBUQUERQUE, NM - Saying we have "asked our servicemen and women to do too much

with too little," Texas Governor George W. Bush today promoted his agenda for

rebuilding America's military by improving troop morale and investing in research

and development. Governor Bush spoke at the Veterans Memorial Park in

Albuquerque.

"I have great faith in those who serve our nation - in the temper of their will

and the quality of their spirit," Governor Bush continued. "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. I make this pledge

to our men and women in arms: As President, I will preserve American power for

American interests. And I will treat American soldiers with the dignity and

respect they have earned."

"Our military is still organized more for Cold War threats than for the

challenges of a new century - for industrial age operations, rather than for

information-age battles," Governor Bush continued. "It is not enough to spend

more, we must spend more wisely. America's forces in the next century must be

agile, lethal, readily deployable, and require a minimum of logistical support.

We must be able to project our power over long distances, in days or weeks rather

than months. The best way to keep the peace is not to match any conceivable

threat weapon for weapon or division for division - but to redefine war on our

terms. That means giving U.S. troops the technological superiority they need to

prevail."

To improve America's military, Governor Bush will:

Improve troop morale. Governor Bush's plan calls for better pay, better treatment

and better training. Recently, after years of neglect, a significant pay raise

was finally passed. Governor Bush's first budget will go further - adding a

billion dollars in salary increases. Governor Bush will also make it a priority

to renovate military housing that is sub-standard and to increase housing

allowances to improve the living conditions of our military families. Invest in

research and development. Governor Bush will urge the Congress to increase

Defense R&D by at least $20 billion over the next five years. Also, twenty

percent of that defense procurement budget must be spent for purchasing next

generation weapons. Governor Bush believes it is not enough to make incremental

improvements on existing systems. The mission is to design and develop quantum

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