Military preparedness

“ Our military men tell us to get ready for war. This is their duty. We are surrounded by potential causes of war. In their optimistic or disingenuous moments, our militarists talk of “peace by preparedness.” “America must be so strong that no nation will dare attack her,” is a popular slogan.
Preparedness never has prevented war and it never will. Germany had that slogan. Look at [4] her! History shows that preparedness has always led to war. It can lead nowhere else. ”

“ Ensure military preparedness and readiness to respond to national security emergencies; (2) In coordination with the Secretary of Commerce, develop, with industry, government, and the private sector, reliable capabilities for the rapid increase of defense production to include industrial resources required for that production; (3) Develop and maintain, in cooperation with the heads of other departments and agencies, national security emergency plans, programs, and mechanisms to ensure effective mutual support between and among the military, civil government, and the private sector ”

“ After victory let us join in any arrangement to increase the likelihood of future international peace, but let us treat this as an addition to, and never as a substitute for, the preparedness which is the only sure guarantee against either war or measureless disaster. Therefore let us at once introduce as our permanent national policy the system of universal obligatory military training of all our young men. ”

“ Recently ex-President Roosevelt in a speech before the Chicago Bar Association sounded the note for military preparedness. He and the foremost leaders in political circles in the United States today are trying to make the American people squarely face the issue of preparedness from a military point-of-view. ”

“ Until this can be done we owe it to ourselves as a nation effectively to safeguard ourselves against all likelihood of disaster at the hands of a foreign foe. We should bring our navy up to the highest point of preparedness, we should handle it purely from military considerations, and should see that the training was never intermitted. We should make our little regular army larger and more effective than at present. ”

“ Just as a gun will be of little use unless of modern make and firing capacity, so will a soldier be of little use unless he is a sound, efficient and enduring man.
It is evident, therefore, that the present state of Amerian vitality, as well as its general trend, is a proper subject for a consideration in any investigation of the preparedness of this country for military defense. Fortunately, this physical preparedness for war is the best kind of preparedness for peace, for industrial progress, for a forward and upward-moving civilization. ”

“ Doubtless a clearer lesson would have been "the folly of ineffectual preparedness"; because, when the decision as to resistance or non-resistance is forced upon a nation, the matter is so urgent, the military, political, and international conditions so complex, and the excitement probably so intense, that a wise decision is very difficult to reach; whereas the question of what constitutes effectual preparedness is simple, and needs merely to be approached with calm nerves and an open mind. ”

“ Frontline Navy and Marine strike fighter aircraft are more likely to be down for maintenance than to be in the sky.
We cannot afford to continue down this path. My budget will give America's armed forces the resources they need to achieve full and total military preparedness to meet any and all global challenges – and meet them, we will.
Investing in the military means investing in peace - because the best way to prevent war, as George Washington said, is to be prepared for it. ”

“ The people make war; the government declares it; and the officers of the army and navy are charged with the responsibility of terminating it with such means and implements as the people may give them."
His voice raised in behalf of preparedness refers therefore to the military, because as a Major-General in the United States Army he is not empowered to speak of other walks in life. Yet his own wide experience in Cuba and the Philippines in administration, very little of which was military, is a witness of his belief in preparedness in an life. ”

“ These experts must be competent to tell us what military equipment is necessary at any time to meet the requirements of our political situation, and they must be able to advise about the amount and kind of actual military training necessary to make this physical equipment most effective. All this, plainly, must be provided whether it be good or bad from a general educational standpoint. But preparedness and national defense mean, of course, more than the possession of guns and more than military training as such. ”

“ Powers and relationships set up to effectuate response to a preparedness or civil defense emergency are shortly seen to be convenient for application to any garden-variety emergency which happens along, and so it is not surprising to observe that arrangements created in anticipation of military emergency are soon applied to natural catastrophes. ”

“ On that date each year, America calls to mind the ideals and achievements of U.S. forces in that conflict and throughout our history; and we salute and thank all the veterans of our military for their service, sacrifices, and love of country.
America, the land of liberty, seeks ever to defend freedom and to build the essentials of lasting peace. Experience has taught us that preparedness deters aggression and that weakness invites it. Innumerable Americans have preserved the peace by manning our defenses through the years ”

“ In this international atmosphere, the United States must have the right structures, personnel, and resources in place when an emergency occurs. A delay in our response of a few weeks, or even days, can mean the difference between success and failure. Clearly we need a full range of tools to prevail. My own focus has been on boosting the civilian side of our stabilization and reconstruction capabilities, while encouraging improved mechanisms for civilian and military agencies to work together on these missions. ”

“ In optimizing our defense posture to enhance our security in the face of competing objectives, the priorities in allocating resources in the Armed Forces will take into account the impact of military programs on our national development goals and objectives. ”

“ Nothing that can be said and done by all the friends of national defense will make this country take adequate measures for its defense. Nothing but a disastrous war will supply the necessary stimulus. In all the history of the world, this truth has been made manifest—that no nation can be made adequately to prepare against war, no matter what the menace may be, without either suffering actual defeat, or being so embroiled in war as to realize the necessity for preparedness. ”

“ When we do send our men and women into harm's way, we must also clearly define the mission, prescribe concrete political and military objectives, seek out the advice of our military commanders, evaluate the intelligence, plan accordingly, and ensure that our troops have the resources, support, and equipment they need to protect themselves and fulfill their mission. ”

“ We need a standing army big enough for the peace work of the day, i.e., the garrisoning of our foreign possessions, the Philippines, the Hawaiian Islands, Panama, the little garrisons in Porto Rico and Alaska, and a force in the continental United States adequate for the peace needs of the nation.
We must never again trust ourselves to the emergencies of a great war without proper preparation. If we do we shall meet with an overwhelming disaster. Preparedness is really an insurance for peace, and not an influence for war. ”

“ There must be not merely preparedness in things material; there must be preparedness in soul and mind. To prepare a great army and navy without preparing a proper national spirit would avail nothing. And if there is not only a proper national spirit, but proper national intelligence, we shall realize that even from the standpoint of the army and navy some civil preparedness is indispensable. For example, a plan for national defense which does not include the most far-reaching use and cooperation of our railroads must prove largely futile. ”

“ WHEREAS on December 16, 1950, I proclaimed the existence of a national emergency which requires that the military, naval, air, and civilian defenses of this country be strengthened as speedily as possible to the end that we may be able to repel any and all threats against our national security and to fulfill our responsibilities in the efforts being made throughout the United Nations and otherwise to bring about a lasting peace ”

“ They organize preparations for military operations other than war (MOOTW) in a scientific way, work out pre-designed strategic programs against non-traditional security threats, reinforce the building of specialized forces for emergency response, and enhance capabilities in counter-terrorism and stability maintenance, emergency rescue, and the protection of security. They resolutely undertake urgent, difficult, dangerous, and arduous tasks of emergency rescue and disaster relief, thereby securing lives and property of the people. ”

“ We've been moving on a massive program of defense conversion to help defense workers, military personnel, and communities who won the cold war build a brighter future even in the face of defense reductions. ”

“ I have recently set up the machinery for civilian defense. It will rapidly organize, locality by locality. It will depend on the organized effort of men and women everywhere. All will have opportunities and responsibilities to fulfill.
Defense today means more than merely fighting. It means morale, civilian as well as military; it means using every available resource; it means enlarging every useful plant. It means the use of a greater American common sense in discarding rumor and distorted statement. ”

“ It is not desirable that civilians, acting independently of and without the help of military and naval advisers, shall prepare minute or detailed plans as to what ought to be done for our national defense. ”

“ Based on this perspective, I call upon all Americans to learn more about, and express gratitude for, the heroic efforts of our men and women in uniform. Today, the United States military serves across the world to keep us safe. They are working here at home to protect America from threats foreign and domestic; they are risking their lives in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan; and they are also serving bravely in many other parts of the world to ensure our security and provide humanitarian assistance. ”

“ A building up of the military capabilities of the United States and the free world is a pre-condition to the achievement of the objectives outlined in this report and to the protection of the United States against disaster. ”

“ It will also allow us to reduce the stress on our military families and make the best overall use of our resources. In the months and years ahead, we will continue to do what is necessary to prepare our Armed Forces to protect the American people in this new century. ”

“ As we begin our third year, we have put in place a defense program that redeems the neglect of the past decade. We have developed a realistic military strategy to deter threats to peace and to protect freedom if deterrence fails. Our Armed Forces are finally properly paid; after years of neglect are well trained and becoming better equipped and supplied. And the American uniform is once again worn with pride. ”

“ Some eminent and patriotic gentlemen have lately formed a National Security League, for the purpose of testing the preparedness of this country for war—preparedness, according to them, connoting armaments, ships guns, ammunition and a trained "citizen soldiery. The physical sufficiency of our citizens for war seems to be taken for granted—all they need is training. ”

“ We can no longer trust to chance, and to maintain peace and security we must be able to resort to and exercise force whenever necessary. The surest guarantee of peace is preparedness for war, and upon this truism we should base and shape our future course. ”

“ THE CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT OF OUR NATIONAL SECURITY
Because peace is the keystone of our national policy, our defense program emphasizes an effective flexible type of power calculated to deter or repulse any aggression and to preserve the peace. Short of war, we have never had military strength better adapted to our needs with improved readiness for emergency use. The maintenance of this strong military capability for the indefinite future will continue to call for a large share of our national budget. Our military programs must meet the needs of today. ”

“ We must continue the effort to maintain and bolster the morale of our military organization and to place its various services in tip-top shape in view of their valuable service in our domestic problems of security and socio-economic effort, as well as the growing responsibilities of the Republic on the international scene. Measures should be sought in order to enable the armed forces to maintain itself efficiently and to be provided with its essential needs. ”

“ Whereas the national security and our continuing economic growth and prosperity are interdependent, appropriate attention must be directed to effective coordination of emergency preparedness measures with national economic policies and objectives; and
Whereas mobilization readiness and civil defense activities can by accomplished most effectively and efficiently through the performance by departments and agencies of the Government of those emergency preparedness functions related to their established roles and capabilities ”

“ And we're working with nations such as Yemen, the Philippines and Georgia that seek our help in training and equipping their military forces to fight terror in some of the world's distant corners.
We're making progress. Yet nothing about this war will be quick or easy. We face dangers and sacrifices ahead. America is ready; the morale of our military is high; the will of our people is strong. We are determined, we are steadfast, and we will continue for as long as it takes, until the mission is done. ”