Norfolk, Virginia Remarks at the Commissioning Ceremony ]or the U.S.S. Mississippi.

Senator Eastland, Senator Stennis, Governor Finch, Secretary of Defense Harold Brown, Secretary of the Navy Claytot, Admiral Kidd, Admiral Rickover, Captain Hekman, distinguished officers and men of the U.S.S. Mississippi, patriotic Americans who have listened, I am sure, with great attention to the fine address that we have just had, reminding us of the basic principles which have made our country so great:

It's good to be back here in Norfolk, on the Norfolk Navy Base, after so many years. This is where I started my naval career. It's where I started my married life. It's where my oldest son was born. And as has already been mentioned, my last tour of duty here in Norfolk was as a young officer, a lieutenant junior grade, serving on the U.S.S. Mississippi.

I was electronics officer, gunnery officer, doing experimental work. The U.S.S. Mississippi was converted into an experimental gunnery and radar ship on which we tried out new naval techniques. You just saw the finest missile-launching system on Earth, and just aft of those missiles is a 5-inch 54 gun. The first 5-inch 54 gun was fired on a ship under my supervision as electronics officer, on the U.S.S. Mississippi. Those were not as exciting, perhaps, as some of the new developments in a modern navy, but after World War II, they started us on the road to innovation and flexibility that has kept our Nation strong.

It's a pleasure for me as President to share this occasion with representatives of the people of Mississippi. I am very glad to see here Mississippi's Governor Cliff Finch and his daughter, Janet, who is the U.S.S. Mississippi's sponsor.

I'm also glad that Marine Corps Commandant General Lou Wilson, another son of Mississippi, who has devoted his life to our Nation's service, could be with us on this ceremony.

And most of all, I'm honored to share this dais with Senator James Eastland and Senator John Stennis. Senator Eastland, as President pro tempore of the Senate, is a senior Member of that body. He's the chairman of the Judiciary Committee and has served our Nation with integrity, with distinction, and with courage for many years, and of that, Senator Eastland, I and the people of our country are very proud. Thank you very much.

Senator John Stennis has worked long and hard as chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee to promote our national security. It's very fitting that this new guided missile cruiser be named for the home State of a man who has done so much to keep our Nation safe and strong.

In this ceremony today, we are commemorating the sources of our Nation's strength, honoring the men and women who defend it, and rededicating ourselves to the principle that our national defense is the surest protector of our liberty.

Exactly 200 years ago, early in our War for Independence, that principle led us to complete our first international alliance-with the Government of France. Fifteen hundred miles from where we are today, in the town of Pascagoula, Mississippi, the Ambassador of France is today commissioning a new American destroyer, the Comte de Grasse. These twin ceremonies underscore our unity with the great democracies of the world in defending freedom everywhere.

The vessel we are commissioning, on which I stand, embodies the tradition of strength. This is the fourth U.S.S. Mississippi, the fourth to advance our Nation's interests in peace and to maintain our security in time of war. Her predecessors served our Nation during some of the most crucial times in its history.

The first Mississippi was Commodore Perry's flagship on his historic voyage to Japan. The second Mississippi sailed with President Theodore Roosevelt's Great White Fleet, serving notice of America's emergence as a naval power early in this century. And the battleship Mississippi, on which I later served, earned eight battle stars in World War II, participating in some of that war's most important Pacific engagements. I'm equally proud to be here today as this new U.S.S. Mississippi assumes this great heritage and these great responsibilities.

This nuclear cruiser will be devoted to many varied duties, not the least of which is the assignment to protect in time of war, and to escort in war and peace, such great naval ships as the U.S.S. Nimitz, the nuclear aircraft carrier just behind the audience.

It's interesting to note, as Admiral Rickover pointed out to me a few minutes ago, that 58 percent of the crew of this modern warship, in fighting trim today, well-trained, have never been to sea before on another ship. This is a credit to the Navy. It shows the youth, the vigor, the competence of men who man our ships, and it shows the high technical skill needed to man a nuclear-powered warship in today's modern world.

In recent years, as Senator Stennis pointed out, we saw confidence in our Government and in our Nation falter, and belief in our national strength and character has been called into question. But our country always responded to challenge, and we have and will maintain this strength that is so crucial. We have not and we will not ever become a second-rate power in any respect, and you can depend on that.

No matter what is said, often by well-meaning people, we now maintain, the United States of America now maintains the greatest military arsenal on Earth, to protect and to preserve our freedom and liberty but, most important of all—and I speak for all men and women in uniform, or who have ever served in uniform—to preserve peace. No group of people wants peace more than those who are ready to give their lives in time of war. We possess the finest service men and women in the world—people of dedication, of conviction, and of courage.

We've put our national reputation forward, and we are known once again as the defender of basic and inalienable human rights across the globe, which we cherish and maintain here in our great country. And we've restored throughout our country the confidence that the United States stands strongest among nations and also stands strongest for what is right and decent and honorable and moral. That is the strength of our country.

We are respected by our foes, our potential adversaries, because of our strength of arms. And we are respected by our friends and our allies for the strength of our convictions. We are meeting the challenge of this great age, and we will continue to meet the challenges of this and future eras.

I have pledged as President—as a navy man—that the United States will maintain military and naval forces which can never be challenged successfully by any other power on Earth.

We will continue the development and the modernization of the submarine launched ballistic missile component of our strategic nuclear triad to ensure that no potential adversary would dare to threaten our security.

We will enhance and support our strategic capabilities with conventional weapons such as this new cruiser. Ships like the Mississippi also play a vital role in our air defenses and in upgrading our anti-air warfare capabilities.

We will continue to dispatch our naval forces to patrol the waters of the world and to keep them safe for ourselves and for our allies. Our Navy, with such ships as the Mississippi, will always remain a strong reminder to our foes and a source of reassurance to our friends.

This great new fighting ship underscores our commitment to the security of our own people and those of our allies, our dedication to devising and deploying the finest forces on Earth, and our spirit of faith in our Nation to the causes which have made it great.

This spirit of faith and devotion is evidenced nowhere better than in you, the men and women of our Armed Forces. I know that all Americans share with me a deep appreciation for your efforts, your courage, and your dedication. You are the most important element of our Nation's defense, and I am determined that all our service persons receive the recognition which you deserve.

On this occasion, as we reaffirm our dedication to keeping those defenses strong, we must proceed, in the words of the ship's motto and the State motto of Mississippi: Virtute et Armis. With virtue and with arms, our strength will not falter, nor will our dedication to the ideals which have guided our Nation since its inception. We will maintain the virtue of our country through our own actions, our deeds, our public statements, and our deep commitments, and with arms we will maintain as best we can peace throughout the world and, in all cases, the security of our country.

We will remain a nation founded in freedom. We will maintain our freedom grounded in strength.

Thank you very much.