Ken Bacon Defense Quotations

There is extensive movement in Iraq's air defense system. We assume that this movement is for two reasons. Part of it is defensive, so that it is harder for us to target ... air defense missiles, particularly SA-6 missiles, but also SA-2 missiles and ROLAND missiles, and we also think that some of it is offensive.

We're watching it very carefully, ... We have certainly seen signs that (Saddam Hussein is) attempting to reconstruct his air defense abilities north of the 32nd parallel.

We're watching it very carefully. We have certainly seen signs that (Saddam Hussein is) attempting to reconstruct his air defense abilities north of the 32nd parallel.

What we have seen is extremely active activity by (Iraq's) air defense system,

The Defense Department has sent out two advisories to military installations and commanders around the world,

We think that the Operation Southern Watch and Northern Watch have been able to debilitate Saddam Hussein's air defenses quite a lot ... For one thing, we think that he's largely afraid to use his top of the line air defense systems, for fear of losing them to our patrolling airplanes.

Drafts are not final, and they're subject to change until they're final. So... by mutual agreement, the secretary of the Air Force and the deputy secretary of defense decided that there was more work to do and that's being done.

It's required sharp increases in pay and benefits, and I think those have been appropriate, particularly in light of the recruiting problems that we were having a year ago, and the quality of life problems that have been eliminated. And I think that we've worked -- that Secretary (William) Cohen and President Clinton have worked very hard to increase defense investment, as I said, by 40 percent, from $43 billion to $60 billion a year ... That, also, has been justified, and will help us be as strong and dominant in the 21st century as we are now.

It will be another substantive strike. It will be severe. We will continue to focus on a variety of targets, but principally on air defense targets and also on military targets in and around Kosovo.