Let no one think that the expenditure of vast sums for weapons and systems of defense can guarantee absolute safety for the cities and citizens of any nation.

A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction.

Arms alone can give the world no permanent peace, no confident security. Arms are solely for defense - to protect from violent assault what we already have. They are only a costly insurance. They cannot add to human progress.

When people have a sense of our military capability, nobody will ever dare to cast an evil eye on our nation.

Conscription is the vitality of a nation, the purification of its morality, and the real foundations of all its habits.

Three and a half million men and women are directly engaged in the defense establishment. We annually spend on military security more than the net income of all United State corporations.