Richard B Myers: Mobilise for a long fight

From a speech by the Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, given to the Commonwealth Club of San Francisco

Today, as we fight the war on terrorism, we need to continue to mobilise for what will be a long fight. What is the responsible course of action? Well, there are a series of questions to be debated. Do free people have a responsibility to take steps to prevent a future attack? Can we, or should we, accept the risks of terrorists having weapons of mass destruction? To what lengths should we go to defend ourselves?

These are not questions for just public officials, four-star generals, talk-show hosts and pundits. They are questions for dinner tables and boardrooms. These are issues for all Americans to express their opinion on. And we need to have that debate early in this war.

We need computer expertise from places like California's Silicon Valley to help us defend our country. We need financial expertise and the tradition of innovation in business to deliver the tools we need for this new kind of war. We need Hollywood to produce another film like Frank Capra's wonderful Why We Fight series. We need the media to help the public to examine and debate how best to protect our way of life. Finally, we need energy, ideas, expertise and initiative to transform ourselves into a new arsenal of freedom that is so critical to winning a new global struggle.

We face four challenges in the hazardous times ahead. First, the enemy we face is determined to do us great harm. Second, we cannot risk a "business as usual" approach to this war. Third, we must continue a closer public-private partnership in industry. And finally, all citizens must be involved and participate in a thorough public debate on how we should defend ourselves.

The solutions to all our challenges, I believe, are inside great minds, labs, factories, industries and universities, waiting to be unleashed.