The deaths of nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11 put the issue of national security among the most pressing issues facing Congress. As a people with a profound love of freedom and liberty, Americans are prepared to bear even its greatest costs. Currently maintaining a relentless vigil on the Korean Peninsula against aggression from the North, monitoring Saddam Hussein's activities in the Middle East and preserving order and stability in Bosnia and Kosovo; the Armed Forces are now fighting bravely to bring a permanent peace to Afghanistan. It is clear that while we don't seek out wars and conflicts, American men and women have always been prepared to pay the ultimate price for freedom and democracy.

Sept. 11, which brought the conflict to these shores in a way never before experienced, has raised the need for increased defense funding. In this new terrorist environment, we must close off as many avenues of attack as possible. This requires changing the forces' structure to defend ourselves against new forms of terrorism, such as cyber-attacks on our information networks, as well as attacks using chemical and biological weapons. Toward this end, we must do a better job of gathering intelligence and sharing that information and strengthening our capability to project power over long distances with rapid-reaction forces, using precision-strike weapons.

To defend America's interests here and abroad, the House of Representatives passed a spending bill that appropriates $354.7 billion for defense purposes in the fiscal year 2003. This increase of more than $33 billion over last year's level will go a long way toward keeping America safe and strong, supporting our military personnel and fighting the war against terrorism. It includes critical resources for missile defense, money for the next generation of fighter planes, a 4.1 percent pay hike for military personnel and increased funding counter-terrorism activities and other programs to fight unconventional threats.

We take great pride in the American men and women who wear the uniform. The US-led coalition to find and destroy elements of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in eastern Afghanistan and western Pakistan has been an overwhelming success, but much remains to be done in the war against terrorism. I am confident that this spending bill will prepare our military for its new missions in the 21st Century.