Ask the Scholar
Document scope · 1 page
Scholar
Ask about this object, its catalog metadata, its source description, or the page inventory.
For page-specific OCR and visual context, open one of the page chats.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
1252866
label
5/14/76 - Remarks at the 50th Annual Armed Forces Day Dinner, Louisville, Kentucky
core
doc
dtoType
document
citationUrl
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
1252866
sourceUrl
contentType
document
title
5/14/76 - Remarks at the 50th Annual Armed Forces Day Dinner, Louisville, Kentucky
citationUrl
collections
President's Speeches and Statements Reading Copies (Ford Administration)
Reading Copies of Presidential Speeches and Statements
subjects
Department of Defense. National Guard Bureau. (04/27/1948 - )
National security
Speeches, addresses, etc.
Armed forces reserves
Tanks (Military science)
Federal budget
thumbnailUrl
largeImageUrl
imageCount
1
hasImages
yes
source
import
hasTranscription
no
Source extras
naId
1252866
coverageEndDate
day
14
logicalDate
1976-05-14
month
5
year
1976
coverageStartDate
day
14
logicalDate
1976-05-14
month
5
year
1976
levelOfDescription
fileUnit
recordType
description
ocrSource
nara-archive
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
document
mediaId
30525bc40cba6757
ocrText
The original documents are located in Box 32, "5/14/76 - Remarks at the 50th Annual
Armed Forces Day Dinner, Louisville, Kentucky" of the President's Speeches and
Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Copyright Notice
The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of
photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Gerald Ford donated to the United
States of America his copyrights in all of his unpublished writings in National Archives collections.
Works prepared by U.S. Government employees as part of their official duties are in the public
domain. The copyrights to materials written by other individuals or organizations are presumed to
remain with them. If you think any of the information displayed in the PDF is subject to a valid
copyright claim, please contact the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
Digitized from Box 32 of President's Speeches and Statements: Reading Copies at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
THE PRESIDENT HAS SEEN
ARMED FORCES COMMITTEE
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY
FRIDAY, MAY 14, 1976
THANK YOU GENERAL VAN STOCKUM
AMBASSADOR COOPER
CONGRESSMAN TIM LEE CARTER
CONGRESSMAN MAZZOLI
CONGRESSMAN SNYDER
MEMBERS OF THE ARMED SERVICES
DISTINGUISHED GUESTS
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN
-1-
I AM PROUD TO BE HERE IN LOUISVILLE THIS EVENING
TO ADDRESS THE ARMED FORCES COMMITTEE AND THEIR FRIENDS
IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO ADDRESS THIS DISTINGUISHED GROUP
OF FINE AMERICANS
CITIZENS WHO ARE VITALLY INTERESTED,
I
AS I AM IN THE DEFENSE OF THIS COUNTRY
-2-
I WAS HAPPY TO SEE THAT EVEN IN THE MIDST
OF ALL THE EXCITEMENT OF THE KENTUCKY DERBY,
ONE OF OUR NATIONAL GUARDSMEN, SERGEANT GARY WALL
WHO IS HERE TONIGHT / WAS ON THE ALERT
I SALUTE HIM
FOR HIS QUICK THINKING AND QUICK ACTION IN SMOTHERING
THAT SMOKE BOMB THROWN ONTO THE TRACK
-3-
WE SURE COULD USE A FEW MORE LIKE SERGEANT WALL
TO SMOTHER SOME OF THE SMOKE THAT IS CLOUDING THE REAL ISSUES
before The american people in 1976,
THE PRIMARY RACES.
BUT I AM NOT HERE TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT RACES,
HORSE OR POLITICAL.
I CAME HERE TO TELL YOU MY FEELINGS ABOUT DEFENSE
AND MILITARY PREPAREDNESS.
-4-
THE FIRST PERSON TO ADDRESS THIS DISTINGUISHED
ORGANIZATION AT ITS FIRST ARMED FORCES DAY BANQUET IN 1919,
WAS ONE OF AMERICA'S GREAT MILITARY LEADERS,
GENERAL JOHN J. PERSHING
-5-
PERSHING SPOKE AFTER THE END OF WORLD WAR ONE --
A WAR THAT HAD FOUND AMERICA UNPREPARED
PERSHING KNEW WHAT IT MEANT TO GO TO WAR UNPREPARED
HE HAD SEEN FOR HIMSELF THE TERRIBLE PRICE IT HAD COST
IN AMERICAN BLOOD, SPILLED IN THE TRENCHES AND HEDGEROWS
OF FRANCE
-6-
LIKE ANY MILITARY COMMANDER PERSHING WANTED
HIS FORCES FIGHTING TOGETHER
\
AS A SINGLE AMERICAN UNIT
--
BUT AT FIRST HE WAS FORCED TO SPLIT OFF SOME OF HIS DIVISIONS
TO FIGHT ALONGSIDE THE BRITISH AND FRENCH FORCES
-7-
AND
WHY WAS THAT?
ONE VERY IMPORTANT REASON.
WAS THAT THE AMERICAN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE HAD NO TANKS
AND IN 1917 TANKS WERE RAPIDLY CHANGING THE NATURE OF THE
BATTLEFIELD
TANKS WERE THE DECISIVE PUNCH IN ANY ATTACK
- 8 -
OUR FIGHTING FORCES HAVE COME A LONG WAY SINCE
THEN.
SPEAKING HERE TONIGHT, NOT 30 MILES FROM THE
ARMOR CENTER OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY AT FORT KNOX,
LET ME SAY TANKS TODAY ARE A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF AMERICAN
GROUND COMBAT POWER.
AS WE SAW IN THE 1973
MIDDLE EAST WAR,
THE TANK PLAYS A CENTRAL ROLE IN GROUND
COMBAT.
-9-
AND AS PART OF OUR BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 1977,
WE ARE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT AMERICAN SOLDIERS HAVE NOTHING
BUT THE BEST IN THIS CRUCIAL AREA
THAT BUDGET CALLS FOR
THE PURCHASE OF BETTER THAN THIRTY PERCENT. MORE TANKS THAN
We have gone from a a single production love to a are
THE BUDGET FOR FISCAL 1975
AND WE ARE NOW TESTING
ADVANCED NEW TANKS, TO SELECT THE VERY BEST THAT CAN BE
PROVIDED TO THE AMERICAN SOLDIER
-10-
WE CAN ALSO LOOK WITH CONFIDENCE
TO OUR SUBSTANTIAL ARSENAL OF THE WORLD'S MOST EFFECTIVE
ANTI-TANK SYSTEMS BOTH AIR AND GROUND
AMERICAN TECHNOLOGY AND SKILLS HAVE MADE US
THE FOUNDATION OF THE FREE WORLD'S MILITARY MIGHT but we
must me that great resource to stay about. R. + D. is an
AS I NOTED EARLIER THIS WEEK AT THE OPENING
OF ARMED FORCES WEEK AT THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT:
important, crimerl element + in my
F.Y. 77 budget, 2 recommended an
11% increase in Deferse D ynt.
neverah t development
-10a-
-- WE HAVE LAID THE KEEL FOR THE FIRST OF A SERIES
OF NEW MISSILE LAUNCHING SUBMARINES,
THE TRIDENT MISSILE FLEET,
WHICH WILL BE THE FOUNDATION FOR A STRONG AND TECHNOLOGICALLY
SUPERIOR FORCE THROUGH THE 1980s
-10b-
-- WE ARE DEVELOPING NEW FIGHTERS, /
A NEW INTERCONTINENTAL BALLISTIC MISSILE FOR THE 1980s, /
AND A NEW CRUISE MISSILE FOR OUR AIR AND NAVAL FORCES.
The B-1 is approaching 'ts find testing & 2 have.
I WENT ON TO SAY THAT WE OWE OUR SOLDIERS
I
AND SAILORS AND MARINES AND AIRMEN THE FI NEST TOOLS
THIS COUNTRY CAN PROVIDE.
the provinut fund for will
be the phoned 200 plus in m we replace our B-521
recommended account which
-11-
THAT GOES FOR ALL THE MEMBERS OF OUR TOTAL FORCE
BOTH ACTIVE AND RESERVE COMPONENTS.
THE NATIONAL GUARD
AND RESERVE FORCES ARE A GREAT PART OF AMERICA'S
FIGHTING TEAM
AND I INTEND TO CONTINUE IMPROVING
THE COMBAT POWER AND THE READINESS OF THAT FORCE
-12-
WITHIN THE LAST TWO HOURS I SIGNED INTO LAW A BILL
MAKING OUR NATIONAL GUARD AND RESERVE UNITS
AN EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT PART OF OUR TOTAL FORCE
UNTIL TODAY, IT TOOK A NATIONAL EMERGENCY OR AN ACT
OF CONGRESS TO PUT THE RESERVES INTO ACTION.
UNDER THIS NEW LAW, THE PRESIDENT WILL BE ABLE TO MOBILIZE
UP TO 50,000 OF THE SELECTED RESERVE FOR UP TO 90 DAYS
-13-
OF COURSE WE ALL HOPE THAT SUCH AN ORDER
WILL NEVER HAVE TO BE GIVEN
BUT IF IT IS, WE CAN NOW
COUNT ON THE EFFECTIVE DEPLOYMENT OF A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER
OF RESERVISTS
particypate TO DEFEND OUR with NATIONAL our active INTEREST. duty fouces in in the before
- 14 -
THIS MEANS OUR RESERVE AND NATIONAL GUARD
ARE BEING GIVEN INCREASED RESPONSIBILITY, AND GREATER
IMPORTANCE IN OUR TOTAL FORCE.
so IT IS MORE IMPORTANT
THAN EVER THAT THEY BE EQUIPPED AND TREATED AS FIRST-CLASS
units
SOLDIERS,
AND SECRETARY RUMSFELD AND I ARE GOING TO SEE
THEY GET THE ADVANCED EQUIPMENT THEY DESERVE.
-15-
I WAS GLAD TO HEAR THAT THE KENTUCKY AIR NATIONAL
GUARD HAS JUST REPLACED THEIR OUTDATED R-F 101s
WITH ONE OF OUR MOST MODERN RECONNAISSANCE FIGHTERS,
THE R-F-4-C
THIS IS JUST THE TYPE OF IMPROVEMENT
WE ARE AIMING TO ACHIEVE
-16-
ORGANIZATIONS SUCH AS THOSE REPRESENTED
IN THIS ROOM TONIGHT
THE 100th ARMY RESERVE DIVISION,
THE KENTUCKY AIR NATIONAL GUARD,
THE RETIRED OFFICERS'
ASSOCIATION,
AND THE RESERVE OFFICERS TRAINING CORPS --
ARE PART OF A GREAT FIGHTING TEAM THAT DESERVES
AMERICA'S SUPPORT
-17-
THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY, AMERICA HAS SHOWN
ITS ABILITY TO RAISE GREAT FIGHTING FORCES ON SHORT NOTICE
IN WORLD WAR ONE, FOR EXAMPLE, WITHIN 18 MONTHS
GENERAL PERSHING WAS ABLE TO PRODUCE AN ARMY TWO MILLION
STRONG, THAT DECISIVELY DEFEATED TROOPS HARDENED
BY FOUR YEARS OF WAR.
-18-
IN FACT, THE SPEED AT WHICH AMERICA HAS MOBILIZED
/
HAS BEEN MATCHED ONLY BY THE SPEED WITH WHICH AMERICA
DISMANTLED MUCH OF ITS MILITARY ESTABLISHMENT TIME AND
TIME AGAIN
LEAVING US ILL-PREPARED FOR THE NEXT THREAT
TO OUR FREEDOM
-19-
AMERICA TODAY CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO RELY ON
THIS ROLLER-COASTER APPROACH TO OUR NATIONAL DEFENSE
THE AWESOME SPEED AND TECHNOLOGY OF MODERN
WARFARE MEAN WE WOULD NOT HAVE 18 MONTHS
OR EVEN
18 DAYS -- TO PREPARE OUR OWN DEFENSE.
The atlantic of Paupic acins
art me longer provide r1
-20-
IF WE ARE FORCED TO FIGHT AGAIN, THE NEXT
WAR IS LIKELY TO BE "COME-AS-YOU-ARE." instant machness,
WE ARE STRONG TODAY.
WE ARE WELL PREPARED
TO DETER WAR -- BUT IF DETERRENCE SHOULD FAIL, WE ARE
WELL PREPARED TO CONTROL THE CONFLICT AND AVOID NUCLEAR
CONFRONTATION.
-21-
OUR JOB NOW IS TO MAKE SURE THAT AMERICA
REMAINS STRONG
AND I PROMISE YOU, WE WILL
IN MY BUDGETS FOR FISCAL YEARS 1976 AND 1977,
stop
I HAVE ALREADY TAKEN STEPS TO ARREST THE DOWNWARD TREND
IN AMERICAN MILITARY SPENDING FOR WHICH THE CONGRESS
-
MUST BEAR RESPONSIBILITY.
It is hard to belive but in The last
from the military bankets for submitted Ly
ID years The Lorgers has stashed 50 believe
3 Presedents. T
-22-
THAT TREND IN THE CONGRESS HAS REDUCED
THE DEFENSE SHARE OF OUR FEDERAL BUDGET TO ITS LOWEST LEVEL
SINCE FISCAL YEAR 1940
/
AND THE LOWEST SHARE
OF OUR GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT SINCE BEFORE THE KOREAN WAR
-23-
THIS HAS COME TO PASS FOR ONE REASON --
BECAUSE THE CONGRESS
OVER THE LAST DECADE,
HAS REDUCED
THE DEFENSE BUDGET PROPOSALS OF THREE PRESIDENTS
BY SOME 45 BILLION DOLLARS
I FOUGHT THAT TREND AS A CONGRESSMAN FOR 25 YEARS
FOR 14 OF THOSE YEARS I HAD THE PRIVILEGE TO SERVE
House
ON THE APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE ON DEFENSE
-24-
FOR 14 YEARS,
/
FOR FIVE MONTHS A YEAR,
/
I SPENT MANY HOURS EACH DAY LISTENING TO SECRETARIES
OF DEFENSE,
CHAIRMEN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF
ALL THE SECRETARIES OF THE ARMY, THE NAVY AND THE AIR FORCE,
ALL THE TOP GENERALS AND ADMIRALS
-25-
WHAT I LEARNED THEN CONFIRMED THE LESSON
OF MY WARTIME EXPERIENCE IN THE NAVY
THE LESSON THAT PEACE DEMANDS PREPAREDNESS,
AND THAT WEAKNESS INVITES WAR.
-26-
AND IN MY TWO YEARS AS PRESIDENT,
I
ASSURE YOU
I HAVE USED ALL THAT I HAVE LEARNED IN PUTTING TOGETHER PROGRAMS
FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE WHICH PRODUCED TWO OF THE LARGEST
PEACETIME DEFENSE BUDGETS IN THE HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES
This your WL can not let Congress slash our moking budget
I KNOW AMERICA NEEDS A STRONG NATIONAL DEFENSE.
must the
must
WE HAVE TO STAY PREPARED
WE HAVE TO KEEP OUR FORCES
STRONG TO KEEP THE PEACE
have in The part. Amount
as wishs they ago 2 Huntly number The
Lompro - if The defense budget is
wishered, it will be wetood. +
z will go to The american
people on the mus.
-27-
THAT MEANS HAVING THE BEST SOLDIERS, SAILORS
AIRMEN AND MARINES, AND GIVING THEM THE FINEST TRAINING
AND THE MOST EFFECTIVE EQUIPMENT MONEY CAN BUY
THAT MEANS SETTING A FIRM COURSE
FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
-
NOT JUST IN THE DEFENSE BUDGET
BUT IN ALL THE AREAS WHERE WE CAN HELP TO KEEP AMERICA
THE GREATEST NATION ON EARTH
-28-
PRESIDENT EISENHOWER, In WHEN HE WAS GENERAL
OF THE ARMY,
ONCE REMARKED THAT OUR FIGHTING FORCES
ARE JUST THE CUTTING EDGE OF A GREAT MACHINE
AND THE INSPIRATION AND POWER FOR THAT MACHINE, HE SAID,
ARE FOUND IN THE HEARTS OF OUR CITIZENS
-29-
AND THE SPIRITUAL POWERS OF A NATION
ITS RELIGIOUS FAITH,
ITS SELF-RELIANCE,
ITS CAPACITY
FOR INTELLIGENT SACRIFICE
IKE CALLED THESE
THE MOST IMPORTANT STONES IN ANY DEFENSE STRUCTURE
-30-
OUR DEFENSES ARE STRONG
NOT JUST
BECAUSE THEIR CUTTING EDGE IS SHARP,
BUT BECAUSE AMERICA'S
SPIRIT IS UNBEATABLE.
AMERICA IS PROSPEROUS
PEACEFUL AND PROUD ON ITS 200th BIRTHDAY.
-31-
ALL OF US MUST DO OUR PART TO SEE THAT AMERICA
REMAINS STRONG IN EVERY RESPECT.
AND + AM CONFIDENT
america inde america will
THAT WE WILL DO OUR PART, AND THAT WE STAND READY TO MEET
THE CHALLENGES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF OUR THIRD CENTURY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH
END OF TEXT