president bill clinton's address to the coast guard academy from 15 years ago. it is followed by the u.s. naval academy in a 2005. we are looking back at presidential commencement speeches at the military academy. president obama spoke at the coast guard academy last week. now, president clinton from 2000. this is just over 30 minutes. president clinton: secretary slater, admiral lloyd, senator dodd, distinguished members of the diplomatic corps, dr. huff members of the faculty and staff and honored guests -- distinguished family and members of the class of 2000 -- i want to begin by complementing -- on

what i thought was a remarkable speech. so is the devotion of the coast guard and the country that every american can be proud of. [applause] i would also like to thank the family members who were here for standing behind these cadets for four years and making it possible for them to be here. this is a highly appropriate place for me to give what is for me, a very nostalgic address. it is the last speech i will ever give as president to a graduating class of one of our country's military academies. this class was in my second inaugural parade. in so many ways, the first class

of the 21st century represents that bridge. i have been personally, and deeply indebted to the coast guard because of the military aides i have had every year i have been president through a coast guard officer. the latest one, pat, the class of '88, is here with me today. they have all been outstanding people and have made me think more and more of the coast guard. you can be proud of the road you have traveled this past summer to the day. you have survived academic rigors, countless games of football and volleyball. even golf balls in the board room. for those of you who, like me, are somewhat less literate in these matters, that is cadets speak for hard-boiled eggs and

corned beef hash. you have done extraordinary volunteer work. you have placed first in one of america's most are stooges national science competitions. four of your classmates were all american athletes in one of your classmates even found fame and fortune on "the price is right." [laughter] i cannot help noting you are also the first class in history to have an advisor who had a recurring role on "baywatch." [applause] president clinton: now, he chose to give up a difficult duty. come back and teach classes on personal finance to those of you who do not become tv stars.

i have been told your spirit as a class is so strong that this class received more letters from class presidents complaining about heckling at soccer games than any other class in the history of the academy. [applause] president clinton: really nice to know you do not feel bad about it. i do not know if any of you got in trouble for the. pursuant to long-standing tradition, i grant amnesty to all candidates serving restrictions for such minor offenses. as the first coast guard class of the 21st century, you will face a new set of challenges to america's security, values, and interests. though your mission will be consistent with the long and storied history of america's defenders. the waters of the shore have seen a lot of the history. in the west wing of the white

house, there is a painting of the first naval battle of the war of 1812. it happened off the coast. a british frigate was chased by five american warships. you may be interested to know that three of those were named the president, the united states, and the congress. history tells us the president was the fastest ship. unfortunately, the belvedere got away anyway. because the president suffered significant damage. they are not sure what caused it. i am curious to know where congress was at the time. [laughter] i ask you to compare that picture with the picture we painted in the same waters this summer when ships from more than 60 nations,

including our adversary in 1812, great britain, met in the broadest gathering of its kind in history. a strong symbol of the global age in which you will serve. it is a wonderful sign of the times that two cadets who graduate today come from russia and bulgaria, nations that were our adversaries when they were in elementary school. neither they nor we think twice about it. we know it is a good thing. globalization is tearing down barriers and building new networks among nations and people. the process is accelerated by the fact that more than half the world's people live in

democracies for the first time in history. and by the explosive advance in information technology that is changing the way we all do business, including the coast guard. a mere decade ago, a cadet had to go through an elaborate process. three people would stand back-to-back, tracking horizontal angles and compare readings to hand-drawn navigational grids. a lot of yelling back and forth. today, all the work is done instantly by satellite and computers and global positioning systems. the openness of our borders and technology also makes also vulnerable in new ways. the same technology that gave us gps and the possibilities of the internet also empowered a student in the philippines to launch a computer virus that, in just a few hours, spread more than 10 million computers and

caused the liens of dollars in damage. the central reality of our time is that the advent of globalization and revolution in information technology have magnified the creative and destructive potential of every individual and nation on our planet. most of us have a vision of the 21st century. it seems to triumph peace, prosperity, and freedom through the power of the internet, spread of democracy, potential of science embodied in the human genome project, and the probing of the deepest mysteries of nature. but we must understand the other side of the coin as well. the same technological advances are making tools of destruction deadlier, cheaper, and more available. making us vulnerable to problems that arise half a world away.

to terror, ethnic, racial, and religious conflict. drug trafficking, and organized crime. today, and for the foreseeable tomorrow, we and you will face a struggle between the forces of integration and harmony and the forces of disintegration and chaos. the phenomenal explosion of technology can be a servant for either side. ironically, or both. our security concerns have by no means vanished. still, we must manage relationships with great and potentially great powers to protect and advance our interests. we must maintain strong alliances, have the best trained military in the world, be

vigilant with regional conflicts. in this scenario, one of the biggest question marks in the 21st century is the path china will take. will china emerge as a partner or an adversary? will it be a society that is open to the world and liberating to its people or controlling of its people and lashing out at the world? next week, the congress of the united states will have a once in a lifetime opportunity to influence that question in the right way. there are brave people in china today working for human rights and political freedom. there are brave people within the government of china willing to risk opening the chinese economy, knowing it will unleash forces of change they cannot control. for example, in a country of 1.3 billion people two years ago there were just 2 million

internet users. last year, there were 9 million. this year, there will be over 20 million. when over 100 million people can get on the net, it will be impossible to maintain a closed political and economic society. if congress votes to normalized trade relations with china, it will not guarantee that china will take the right course. but it will certainly increase the likelihood that it will. if congress votes no, it will strengthen the hand, ironically, of the very people the opponents of this agreement claim to fight. it will strengthen the hand of the reactionary elements in the military and state owned industries who want america for an opponent to justify their

continued control and adherence to the old ways and repression of personal freedom. i believe that a no vote invites a future of dangerous confrontation and constant insecurity. it also forfeits the largest market in the world for our goods and services and gives europe and japan all the benefits. granting china permanent normal trade relations is clearly in our economic interest. but from your point of view, even more important, it is a national security issue for stability in asia, peace in the taiwan strait, an opportunity to advance human rights, and retard the proliferation of weapons technology beyond it. it is incredibly important to america's continued leadership

in the world. that is why all former presidents without regard to party, as well as former secretaries of state, defense, national security advisers chairs of joint chiefs of staff, support this legislation. it illustrates a larger issue i want you to think about today. which is the importance of a balanced security strategy with military, diplomatic, and economic elements. i have worked hard to adapt our security strategy in the 21st century world with all its possibilities and threats. last year, as part of that effort, i asked a task force to conduct a fresh look at the role and mission of the coast guard. what are you going to do in this new world, anyway? the task force found that a flexible, highly motivated coast guard continues to be vital to our security.

we often see personally a reliance on the coast guard. during floods in north carolina after hurricane floyd, after the tragedies of egypt air and air alaska. in the average week, you will seize more than $60 million worth of dangerous drugs or 630 vessels for safety checks, intercept hundreds of illegal immigrants, investigate 119 marine accidents. respond to 260 chemical spills assist 2500 people in distress and save 100 lives. the more we travel and the more we are connected, the more those responsibilities and opportunities for service will arise. your class will play a larger role in defending and advancing america's security. it is very important to me as the commander in chief that each and every one of you understands the threats we face and what we should do to meet them.

first, international terrorism is not new. but it is becoming increasingly sophisticated. terrorist networks communicate on the world wide web too. available weapons are becoming more destructive. and more miniaturized. just as the size of cell phones and computers is shrinking to the point where a lot of you with large hands like mine wonder if you will be able to work with things before long you should understand that the same process of miniaturization will find its way into the development of biological and chemical and maybe even nuclear weapons. it is something we have to be ready for. as borders fade, the chance for free agents looking to make a profit on weapons of destruction and personal chaos is greater.

in this sort of environment, cooperation is profoundly. more vital than ever. in the days leading up to the millennium, we are joined by ambassadors from jordan to the united states. he is sitting here behind me. he is an excellent representative of us is country. -- of his country. i want to tell you a story that will unfortunately not be the last example you is. last december, working with jordan, we shut down a plot to place large bombs at locations where americans might gather on new year's eve. we learned this plot was linked to terrorists in afghanistan and and organization greeted by osama bin laden, the man

responsible for the bombings of embassies which cost the lives of americans and hundreds of africans. a short time later, a customs agent in seattle discovered bomb materials being snuck into the u.s. the same materials used by bin laden in other places. thankfully, and thanks to jordan , new year's passed without an attack. threat was real. we had to cooperate with them, with the canadians, others throughout the world. the first point i wish to make is, in a globalized world, we must have more security cooperation, not less. responding to terrorist threats, our own strategy should be identical to your motto -- always ready. today, i am adding over $300 million to fund critical programs to protect our citizens from terrorist threats, to

expand intelligence efforts, improve our ability to use forensic evidence to track terrorists, to enhance coordination with state and local officials to protect our nation against possible attacks. i have requested some $9 billion for counterterrorism funding in the 2001 budget, 40% more than three years ago. and this $300 million will go on top of that. it sounds like a lot of money. when you see the evidence of what we are up against, i think you will support it and i hope you will. [applause] president clinton: we also have to do all we can to protect existing nuclear weapons from finding new owners. to keep nuclear weapons and nuclear materials secure at the

source, we have helped rip -- russia deactivate 5000 warheads, strengthen border controls and keep what -- weapons expertise from spreading. but their economic difficulties have made this a greater challenge. i know you know that when you decided to become a coast guard officer, you made a decision you would not be wealthy. let me give you some basis of comparison. the average salary today of a highly trained weapons scientist in russia is less than $100 a month. needless to say, there are a lot of people who would like to develop nuclear weapons capability that are trying to hire those folks. the problems that we find in joint endeavors to secure the russian nuclear force and do other kinds of joint research,

helped to give such scientists a decent living to support their families. i think we have to do even more to help them turn their expertise to peaceful progress. we should not depend upon their character to resist temptation to earn a living wage with all their knowledge and education. we have asked congress for extra funding here to help russia keep its arsenal of nuclear weapons secure. still, we have to face the possibility that a hostile nation, sooner or later, may acquire weapons of mass destruction and the missiles necessary to deliver them to our shores. that is what this whole debate over whether we should have a limited national missile defense

is all about. later this year, i will decide whether we should begin to deploy it next spring. based on four factors. first, has this technology proved it will work? second, what does it cost? and how do we balance the cost against our other defense priorities? third, how far advanced is the threat? how likely is it that another nation could deliver long-range ballistic missiles to our shores within three years, five years 10 years? what is the timeframe? finally, what impact will it have on overall security including arms-control efforts in other areas, our relationship with allies and other countries around the world? i also want you to know we have to be ready for the prospect of biological and chemical warfare. we saw that in the gas attack in japan four years ago. we established a national defense preparedness office to train first responders using new technology to improve our ability to detect agents

quickly. we have been doing all we can to see that poison gas and biological weapons are eliminated from the face of the earth. we have to do the same when it comes to problems in cyber security. today, critical systems like power structures, nuclear plants, air traffic control are all connected and run by computers. to years ago, we had an amazing experience in america and around the world. we saw a single failed link with one satellite malfunctioned disabled pagers and credit card systems all over the world. that was an accident. the lovebug was not an accident. to protect america from cybercrime and cyber terrorism we have developed a plan for cyber security with public and private sector brains putting it together.

we are asking for increased funding to implement the plan and protect our viable networks. that is something else i hope you will support. we talk about computer viruses and often forget the world is also threatened by physical infections like malaria, tb, and aids. some people questioned me when our administration announced we considered the aids crisis a national security threat. let me just give you a couple of examples. in africa alone, there are 70% of the worlds aids cases. the fastest growing rate of aids is in india, which happens to be a nuclear power. in africa, some countries are hiring two employees for every job on the assumption that one of them will die from aids.

in other countries, 30% of the teachers and 40% of the soldiers have the virus. in addition, millions of people suffer from malaria, and about one third of the world has been exposed to tb, a disease that can reach our shores at the speed of jack trammell. --jet travel. people now discuss with common parlance airport malaria. because we are all traveling around and bumping into people from other countries. these diseases can ruin it economies and threatened the survival of nations and societies. meeting this public health challenge is a moral imperative and a national security concern. fight issued an executive order last week to maintain poorer countries. i propose we give a tax credit to pharmaceutical companies to give them an incentive to

develop vaccines for aids, malaria, and tb. the people who need it most cannot afford to pay for it. if we help them pay for it, we can save millions of lives and strengthen our security. if we do not, we will dramatically increase the chances of chaos, murder, the abuse of children, kinds of things we have seen in some of the tribal wars in africa in the last couple of years. finally, there is one more global challenge i want you to think about that i think is a security challenge. the challenge of climate change. nine of 10 warmest years since the 15th century were recorded in the 1990's. nine of the 10 warmest years since the 15th century. unless we change course and reverse global greenhouse gas

emissions, most scientists are convinced that storms and drought will intensify as the globe continues to warm. crop patterns will be disrupted, food supplies affected. the seas will swallow islands and coastal areas. if that happens, all the training in the world will not save us. i want you to laugh, but i want you to listen. this is a huge challenge that can become a national security challenge. if we value our farmlands, we must work at home. if we value the stability of our neighbors and friends and the rights of people around the world to live their lives in peace according to their cultures and religious faith, we must work with other nations. this is a global challenge. the good news is, we do not need to put more greenhouse gas in

the atmosphere to grow the economy. all we need is the vision and will and discipline to do the job. finally, we have to deal with the global challenge of narco trafficking. have to deal with it at home treatment for those who suffer punishment for those who profit. we have to fight drug cartels and the criminal empires they finance. 90% of the cocaine consumed in america, two thirds of the heroin seized on our streets comes through just one country -- columbia. columbia has a courageous new president. he has asked for our help to finance his comprehensive plan to fight drugs, build the economy, and even democracy. i have asked congress to give $1.6 billion to columbia over the next two years.

the house has passed the bill, and i hope the senate will do so as soon as possible. it is a national security issue. for columbia, it is not just fighting for its people's lives and its way of life, it is fighting to preserve stability. it is fighting for the lives of our kids too. again, if not in the department of defense budget in a direct way or department of transportation budget in a direct way, but it affect our national security. i hope you will support it. in all these challenges, the coast guard will play a vital role. you always have. in the 18th century, the predecessor to today's coast guard collected tariffs for a

young nation. in the 19 century, you implemented quarantine laws. in the last century, you are arrested rum runners during prohibition, intercepted drugs and delivered marines to normandy. we are trying to make sure you can do your job in the 21st century. by 2000 one budget request, $376 million for the coast guard, the largest one-year increase in 20 years, including a 24% increase to buy ships. [applause] president clinton: i will also recommend to the next president that america continues to support the coast guard's deepwater project. we cannot meet challenges -- [applause] president clinton: we cannot

meet threats to the future with a fleet from the past. let me say just this last point. we cannot ensure -- we cannot accept the fact that the burden of protecting america's security falls solely on the shoulders of those who stand watch on the borders and coastline, on the high seas or our allies' homeground. that it involves only immediate threats to our security. ever since the end of the cold war, people have been saying, we do not need to play such an active role in the world or worry about distant conflicts or play our part in the united nations. i want to ask you what you think the alternative is. building a fence around america and retreat behind it?

a go it alone foreign policy where we do it our way and if people disagree with us, we do not do it at all? i disagree with both. remember the story told you about the help we got from jordan. to work we did with canada. it would not have mattered what we had done if they did not help us. be would have had bombs going off as we celebrated the millennium. we have to be more involved in a cooperative way with other nations to advance security. america has been called a shining city on the hill. it does not mean our oceans are moats. if we wait until problems come home to america, problems are far more likely to come home to america. i hope when you leave here today as new officers, you will be convinced that, more than any previous time in history, your nation must be engaged in the world, paying our fair share

doing our fair share, working to secure peace and prosperity. leading where we must and standing up for what we believe. that is why i support the comprehensive nuclear test. that is why i hope congress will ratify it next year. that is why i helped build the economies of the poorest nations in the world. why we worked to expand trade with africa, to deepen economic ties with latin america and asia. well we work for peace in the middle east and northern ireland, democracy in haiti, and ending ethnic cleansing in kosovo, for reconciliation between north and south korea. maybe a long way from home, but more and more as the years go

by, you will see that in an age of globalism, our values and interests are at stake in these places that while -- as well. president kennedy stood on the deck of the eagle and said there is not a single person who sailed the lakes or oceans who has not at one time or another been the beneficiary of the faithful service of the coast guard. today, that tradition falls to you in the greatest age of possibility in human history. you are the generation chosen by providence to lead the coast guard into the new century. your class motto says -- leading the way into the new millennium. now you have the preparation to do it. you clearly have the courage and character to do it. i pray you will also have the

vision and wisdom to take your motto and truly make it your own. good luck. thank you for your service. god bless you. [applause]