NEWS TRANSCRIPT from the United States Department of Defense
DoD News Briefing
Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld
Tuesday, February 20, 2002 - 1:30 p.m. EST
(Town-hall Meeting at Nellis Air Force Base)


RUMSFELD : To some, the thunderbirds and predators and the high-tech equipment that make up this Air Combat Command are the stuff of movies and imagination and novels. We know, however, more importantly, that they are the backbone of the U.S. military, and they're proving their worth today in Afghanistan as we visit here.

It's because of all of you here at Nellis, from the crews, the pilots and to everyone in between, that the United States and allied forces are so well prepared to guard our freedoms and serve our nation and the world in contributing to peace and stability. Because you train like you fight and fight like you train, we're winning the war against terrorism and making not just America but our world a safer place.

People across the globe have been able to watch, from the rapid development of munitions that blasted Taliban and al Qaeda fighters from caves and tunnels to the drones that can Hellfire weapons to the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance that make missions so successful. You truly are the leading edge of the 21st century warfare.

Your mission is a matter of profound consequence not only for the people of Afghanistan -- and we have seen really just thrilling improvements in their lives. It is not yet a peaceful place. It is still a dangerous and untidy place, and there are still pockets of al Qaeda and Taliban throughout that country. But the people are no longer being repressed by a terribly repressive regime. The men are now free to go out in the street and go to schools and bars with their friends, to shave their oppressive beards, to go to a hospital and to be treated.

You stand against an evil that cannot be appeased. It cannot be ignored, and it must, most certainly, not be allowed to win. And you're doing a magnificent job. So I thank you for your service.