Joint Chiefs of Staff Remarks at Ceremonies Honoring the Chairman and Two Members.

Secretary Brown, other Americans assembled here with a total commitment to defend and preserve our Nation:

It's an honor for me to participate in this ceremony. Secretary Brown said that we come to honor these three men. But they have and will honor us with their superb service and with a very proper balancing between a desire for peace and a willingness to maintain strength.

I taught Sunday school this past weekend, and one of the points I made to my class was that quite often we misjudge others. I asked them to name the group who in their brief encounters with me as President, when the uppermost thought on their mind needs to be imparted very rapidly, which group most often said, "God bless you, Mr. President," or "We're praying for you." And the class guessed all kinds of groups, and the proper answer was the military.

Military families are the first ones who suffer when war comes. At the time of enlistment, their lives are offered for their country. Those offers are not retracted or canceled.

I'm very proud to be able to participate this afternoon in a ceremony to acknowledge the qualities of three men, qualities which exemplify, historically, American military service: superb training, preparation for war in times of peace, experience derived from complicated interrelationships between men and women and the other elements that comprise military capability—personal character, honesty, integrity, reliability, dedication, patriotism—the qualities of leadership to inspire others to emulate the finest qualities among those who head our military forces; and an important but quiet realization of political truths, so that international and national politics in a nonpartisan way can be understood and accommodated and even used.

I have been privileged to work with General David Jones the last 18 months. I know about his background and his experience— -300 hours of combat over North Korea, a superb strategist, a man who in both military and political definition is a statesman. He is our new Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General Lew Allen, who had perhaps the Nation's shortest period of service as a Vice Chief—only 5 days—and his superb qualities were recognized so quickly and instantly— [laughter] —that he was immediately promoted to be the Chief of Staff of the Air Force: a man who has 4,000 hours of experience in the air in strategic bombers, who brings to the Joint Chiefs of Staff a continuation of his superb qualities as a scientist, able to use the resources of our Nation in the most effective way for military strength to prevent war.

Admiral Tom Hayward, a fighter, squadron participant and leader, experienced as a teacher in the Nation's War College, advanced training as a student of international affairs—but I think the characteristic that sticks in my mind is that he is a superb operational commander. I would really have preferred a submariner— [laughter] —but Tom Hayward's qualities are so superior that even the Navy submariners preferred him to be the Chief of Naval Operations.

I would like to say in closing that we are a strong nation. We have strong alliances with other people who themselves represent the traits of character that engender strength. We are able even to withstand, if necessary, a strategic nuclear attack and still have the capability .of punishment so severe that other potential adversaries can be completely destroyed. This is the best assurance that this mutual destruction will be avoided and it's necessary that we maintain that strength.

Our conventional force is also strong, tested in combat, interrelated in an effective and superb way, competitive in the finest sense of the word among the forces of our military capability, but still correlating one another's strength in the finest fashion.

We have an ability for self-examination in a nation based upon the consent of the governed, and when one particular element of our security does become in need of change, we recognize it and make those changes.

One example, I think, has been the recent recommitment of the strength of NATO. In the military, in the White House, in the Congress, throughout our Nation, we have said anew that this collection of democratic countries would stand together for mutual defense, and I think our own action has been an inspiration to other members of NATO, and that alliance has been strengthened.

We now face the challenge on the southern flank of NATO. We want to remove the problems with Turkey, remove the embargo against that country. Our military leaders have voices that are strong, and their observations are assessed with great care by the Congress and the people. They can be a great help in telling the truth to the American people. We are able in this country to think, to plan, to design, to perform better than any other nation on Earth.

As I said in the recent speech in Annapolis, we are eager to cooperate with the Soviet Union or any other potential adversary. We are willing to compete, when necessary. We will never shirk our responsibility. We will never permit our military capability to be second to any other, because we know that along with the natural advantages that we enjoy-ideological, political, economic—that all these would be of no avail if we did not maintain a strong, constant, well-recognized defense capability. And we will never permit our Nation to be weak militarily, which guarantees us that we can be strong in every other aspect of life.

So, to summarize my comments, I would like to say that I'm proud to be with these leaders whom we recognize. I think I know our country well. Our people are committed to the principles that I've outlined briefly this afternoon. We want peace. We are determined to maintain peace. But we recognize that peace can only come through strength. And that we will also maintain in the United States of America.

Thank you very much.