US Presidency
1975

On the contrary, it is the firm maintenance of both strength and vigilance that makes possible steady progress toward a safer and a more peaceful world. The national security budget that I have submitted is the minimum the United States needs in this critical hour. The Congress should review it carefully, and I know it will. But it is my considered judgment that any significant reduction, revision, would endanger our national security and thus jeopardize the peace. Let no ally doubt our determination to maintain a defense second to none, and let no adversary be tempted to test our readiness or our resolve. History is testing us today. We can not afford indecision, disunity, or disarray in the conduct of our foreign affairs. You and I can resolve here and now that this Nation shall move ahead with wisdom, with assurance, and with national unity. The world looks to us for the vigor and for the vision that we have demonstrated so often in the past in great moments of our national history.