[Dan]

Vice President's Remarks at Closing Ceremonies of Socom's International Special Forces Week (part I)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you, very much, General Brown, and thank you for the introduction, the warm welcome. I'm delighted to be here today as you conclude the first International Special Operations Forces Week here in Tampa. I've been looking forward to the visit because I'm a great admirer of special ops professionals, and I'm pleased to bring thanks and good wishes to all of you from our Commander-in-Chief, President George W. Bush.

I had my first dealings with special ops while serving in the House of Representatives, when many years ago I visited Fort Bragg and saw a demonstration by Delta. Later, as Secretary of Defense, I saw the skills of our special operations forces in action from Panama to the Persian Gulf. And in my current role, serving with President Bush, I see regular evidence of your unparalleled skill, your ingenuity, and your daring. Every single day SOCOM confirms its reputation as a small command that produces big results for the United States of America.

Our country is proud to work in partnership with nations from every region of the globe, so I want to welcome the special operators and military representatives who have made the journey from other countries to attend this forum. I especially want to recognize the special operations officers who are here from Afghanistan and Iraq -- newly free nations that are standing up superb forces for the defense of their freedom. The United States has the greatest respect for the contributions you have made to our common security interests, and we're very pleased to have us with you this afternoon.

Today I've received a series of briefings from CENTCOM and SOCOM commanders on the status of many operations abroad. As always, I am thoroughly impressed by the focus and the professionalism of our fighting forces in all branches of the service, and the strong relationship they have built with host nations. Wartime conditions are a test of national resolve and military skill, and the biggest challenges come to the men and women who take the oath to serve. The people on duty for America in this war are reflecting tremendous credit on our nation, and they have earned the gratitude of us all.

Also this afternoon, I presented the Silver Star, Bronze Star, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and a Distinguished Service Cross to special operators from the Army, the Navy, and the Air Force. I consider it a great honor to award these medals -- but even more of an honor to have met the men who have earned them. To hear the citations is to be reminded of the absolute centrality of special operations for the global war on terror, and of the leadership, quick reactions, precision, and steadfastness that characterizes these elite, carefully selected warriors.

It was during the 1980s that the American government moved to create a separate Special Operations Command, and that decision has served us very well in the war on terror. When this conflict began nearly four years ago, President Bush told Congress and the country that, we should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign, unlike any other we have ever seen. It may, he said, "include dramatic strikes, visible on television, and covert operations, secret even when successful." Special ops have been vital to answering some of the fundamental challenges of this war -- fighting the enemy on its own turf; supplying a model for transformation, not only for our military, but also for coalition partners. In addition, special ops are showing the global perspective and the vigilance that will lead us to victory for the cause of freedom.

The terrorist enemy in this war includes small groups of highly motivated extremists, operating in the shadows, and determined to carry out missions of murder of increasing size and audacity. The terrorists are constantly attempting to evade our strengths and to search for our weaknesses, in order to find ways to strike once again. And the greatest danger to civilization is the prospect of a terror network, on its own or with the help of an outlaw government, acquiring weapons of mass destruction -- and thereby gaining the power to kill hundreds of thousands, and to blackmail entire nations. In the face of such a danger, free nations must act decisively to defend ourselves against attack. Yet we also understand that this war cannot be won on the defensive. In this new era, all civilized nations have a duty: We must defeat the terrorists, and we must not allow them to obtain weapons of mass murder.

Defeating the terrorists and their ambitions requires that we deny them sanctuary and support, and the United States is leading a global coalition in that effort. We are dealing with a network that has cells in countries all over the world. Yet bit by bit, by diplomacy, through intelligence cooperation, police work, and the spread of democratic institutions, we are acting to shrink the area in which the terrorists can operate freely. We have also enforced a doctrine that is understood by all: Governments that support or harbor terrorists are complicit in the murder of the innocent, and equally guilty of terrorist crimes. We gave ultimatums to the brutal regimes led by the Taliban and Saddam Hussein -- and when those regimes defied the demands of the civilized world, we acted to remove them from power and to liberate their people.

At every stage of this conflict, we have looked to the Special Operations Forces to carry out the most perilous, most technical, most time-sensitive, and least visible missions. When you have enemies that are hidden, diffuse, secret in their movements, asymmetrical in their tactics, the only alternative is to find out exactly where they are, and then to go in and get them -- one at a time, if necessary.