The maintenance of national security is my first concern, as it has been
for every president before me.
We must have both the military power and the political will to deter our
adversaries and to support our friends and allies.
We must pay whatever price is required to remain the strongest nation in
the world. That price has increased as the military power of our major
adversary has grown and its readiness to use that power been made all too
evident in Afghanistan. The real increases in defense spending, therefore
probably will be higher than previously projected; protecting our security
may require a larger share of our national wealth in the future.