 These are troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, engaged in a demonstration of their combat power. The units of Strike Command. Strike Command is the strategic army corps combined with the tactical air command. These troops are also backed up by massed artillery fire of their ground support units. Aid extremely mobile by army aviation support, these soldiers are among the elite of our fighting men in the United States Army. And if a brush fire war starts, anywhere in the world, these men will be called upon to put it out. This is a copy of the Constitution of the United States. Article II of this document describes not only the method of electing the president, but his powers and duties as well. It is significant that those who wrote our Constitution should list under Section II, Article II, as his very first responsibility, the president shall be Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States and of the militia of the several states when called into actual service of the United States. Every president has borne this power and duty and a number have felt the full weight of its burden. For on the Commander-in-Chief rests the great responsibility of making many vital and far-reaching decisions. Within this century alone, Woodrow Wilson as Commander-in-Chief had to decide whether or not to use the military power of the United States against the ambitions of a power-hungry aggressor. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had the same decision to make in his time. And President Harry S. Truman saw the world faced with Communist tyranny in Korea and took action. To enable the president as Commander-in-Chief to cope with these problems when they arise, military demonstrations of our armed strength are held for him, members of his staff, and official observers. As a former president once said in part, carry a big stick. In late 1961, 14,000 combat-ready soldiers of the 82nd Airborne Division assembled at Fort Bragg, awaiting the arrival of the Commander-in-Chief. The officers and soldiers were there to demonstrate to the president that they did indeed carry a big stick. For, as the president said at a news conference during early December 1961, there are countries where leaders have talked very strongly about standing firm in various areas, but do not have the military force to support that statement. We require it. The United States is the strongest power and the leader of the free world. And as such, we must have the strength to make our commitments good. The truth of the president's statement is evident. For while mankind has made great progress on many fronts, it has not made as much in the direction of a lasting peace. If anything, time has brought more ambitious opponents and more deadly weapons of destruction. Like his predecessors, President Kennedy must look to the forces at his command in weighing the problems before him. As commander-in-chief, he must make wise decisions regarding a potential aggressor. And he must be certain that we have the necessary strength to carry out those decisions. Accompanied by his advisors, by the heads of the armed services along with representatives of allied nations, he will inspect a significant segment of his fighting command. A strike unit of the United States Army, the 82nd Airborne Division. This division as part of the Strategic Army Corps is one of the many organized to preserve the security of the United States. Strike units are modern, armed with the latest weapons, able to move swiftly to any trouble spot. They are trained and equipped to fight in all types of climate and terrain. They are designed to provide sufficient forces in time to prevent a brush fire war from developing into a Holocaust. The president has stated that he places great emphasis on our ability to face each emergency with confidence, with purpose, and with speed, and with a force sufficient to meet the emergency. What do we have to meet each new and immediate challenge? One answer could be found at Fort Bragg, the home of the airborne soldier. An airborne division by its very nature is ideally suited to reinforce American or allied forces already deployed or to act as a stabilizing force in any critical area of the world. To move swiftly and fight, where needed, when needed. As a part of strike command, the airborne soldiers would be the lead elements when called upon to snuff out a brush fire war. Their nickname might well be the Fire Brigade. When the commander in chief addressed the men of the 82nd Airborne Division, he had this to say. I want to express my appreciation to the officers and men of the 82nd Airborne for this opportunity to see a group of Americans who do in peacetime what other men do in war. And that is live hazardlessly in defense of their country. It is this that makes it possible for freedom to maintain its position. So I hope that those of you who serve here during these days of a cold peace will recognize that every day that you are on duty and in a position of preparedness, you are maintaining freedom all around the globe. At the conclusion of his address, the fighting power of the 82nd Airborne was paraded before the president. President Kennedy observed more units of Strach and TAC working together as a team. TAC or the Tactical Air Command is designed to deploy our fighting forces anywhere in the world and then support them once they are there. Before an airborne assault, for example, tactical fighters strike the enemy positions on and around the drop zone area. This keeps the enemy forces pinned down during the actual paratroop drop. The troops seen here jumping from the TAC troop carriers comprise an airborne rifle company, the smallest self-contained unit capable of independent combat action. Great emphasis will always be placed on the development of new high-heeled weapons. But the fact remains that all our weapons, nuclear or not, exist primarily to help the infantry soldier perform his mission of advancing on the enemy and overcoming his will to fight. To ensure the success of the Airborne Infantryman's mission, heavy equipment such as guns, vehicles and supplies are parachuted to him from the air. All weapons, starting with those used against small numbers of enemy personnel, must be the finest we can produce. This is the .45 caliber pistol being demonstrated. The new M14 rifle shown here is replacing three separate weapons because it is lighter, more compact and faster firing. The M16 machine gun is eliminating several other weapons for the same reasons. The M79 grenade launcher is brand new and adds a solid punch to the soldier's arsenal. There are heavier weapons, such as the new rocket launchers designed to be employed against tanks and armored vehicles. Others like the 106-millimeter recoilless rifle have the capacity to destroy armor, enemy buildings and bunkers. Out-controlled missiles, such as the SS-11, add pinpoint accuracy. While the flamethrower contributes great shock action, armor and artillery of many types add their punch in support of the infantry soldier. The newest M60 tank has more speed, firepower, armor and mobility than any tank previously developed by us. There is now available a whole new family of self-propelled artillery weapons capable of destroying enemy troops and installations at tremendous range. Mobility, the capacity to rain swiftly against enemy targets, has long been a decisive factor in winning battles. Today's infantry soldier is trained and equipped to conduct helicopter-borne operations in which he and his equipment are transported over all types of terrain. This is called vertical envelopment and no aggressor could feel secure knowing that his flanks and rear are vulnerable. The infantry soldier today has machine gun and rocket-firing helicopter support to clear the enemy from his area of advance. The Army's tactical missiles provide long-range power for combat. Some, like little John, are lightweight, highly mobile and air-transportable. Some, like honest John, provide mass destruction of ground targets. While others, like the hawk, are certain death to low-flying aircraft, the Pershing, like many other missiles, can deliver nuclear as well as conventional-type warheads. They have all been designed to extend the range of even our most powerful cannon artillery into the enemy's backyard. In the demonstrations which followed, the President had an opportunity to observe how the Army participates in still other types of warfare. Located at Fort Bragg in the Army's Special Warfare Center, where men are trained in psychological operations in guerrilla warfare and encounter insurgency operations. Psychological operations constitute a weapon as great as any we have to undermine the enemy and to bring new hope to our friends in oppressed countries. The students at the school are from many different countries, but they all share with us an uncompromising love of freedom. The mission of this group, called Special Forces, is to organize and direct friendly foreign forces in the fight against subversive and insurrectionist activities. The special knowledge and skills acquired by these men are many and varied. Their mission is not to fight the enemy directly, but to train friendly foreign nationals in the skills of warfare so that these people may defend their country against an aggressor takeover. Rangers become experts in many different ways. In ranger training, selected officers and enlisted men are taught the techniques of hand-to-hand combat to develop the aggressiveness needed to close with an enemy and overcome him. The training of a ranger is realistic and hazardous. His missions include long-range patrols and surprise raids, mostly within enemy territory. He learns mountaineering techniques because he is expected to move quickly and surely day or night across any terrain. As his name implies, the ranger has great flexibility. He can be called out to perform tasks ranging from the destruction of an enemy strong point to the rescue of a comrade injured behind enemy lines. He may have to perform these missions in areas of ice or snow, in jungles or swamp lands, so he acquires superior tactical know-how and self-discipline. But most important, he develops an unshakable faith in himself and in his ability to surmount all obstacles. A soldier's ability to move is of vital importance and the army is constantly providing equipment to move troops and cargo under all conditions and in all environments. One of the newer links in the mobility chain is the amphibious Lark 5. Constructed of aluminum, the Lark 5 is designed to move troops and equipment for short distances over land and water. The Lark 15 is a heavier model with greater range and capabilities. Descended from the famous ducks of World War II, the Lark is a versatile over-the-beach carrier. This armored personnel carrier is the first in which aluminum is used for armor. The rolling liquid transporter being towed offers a simple means of carrying and delivering fuel where needed. The Husky, as this new amphibious cargo carrier has been nicknamed, is designed for cross-country mobility over surfaces usually described as impassable. This man wears equipment called the Flying Belt. This unusual hydrogen-powered device is an experimental one-man rocket with great implications for the future. It will enable soldiers to fly over hills, buildings, and other obstacles that impede their progress. The Commander-in-Chief had an opportunity to meet and talk with the men of that day's immediate ready force. An immediate ready force, or IRF, is a reinforced company of a STRAC Airborne Division which is always on a 24-hour alert. Its personnel, weapons, and equipment are ready to leave on any mission, anywhere, within 60 minutes after receiving the word go. Such an order can only come from one man, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States. The President's responsibilities today are grave. Like many presidents before him, he must make decisions based upon fact. The demonstration of the soldiers of Fort Bragg, their modern equipment, and their ability to use it is certainly one indication that the United States does possess a big stick. In our country today, and in many foreign countries, we maintain fighting forces that are the vanguard of our freedom, our security, and our future. The soldiers of the 82nd Airborne are a part of this vanguard, a vital part, for they represent a unit of the Army's strategic forces, strike, skilled, tough, ready around the clock to go anywhere and fight.