While this invasion continues, we and the other nations of the world cannot conduct business as usual with the Soviet Union.  That’s why the United States has imposed stiff economic penalties on the Soviet Union.  I will not issue any permits for Soviet ships to fish in the coastal waters of the United States.  I’ve cut Soviet access to high-technology equipment and to agricultural products.  I’ve limited other commerce with the Soviet Union, and I’ve asked our allies and friends to join with us in restraining their own trade with the Soviets and not to replace our own embargoed items.  And I have notified the Olympic Committee that with Soviet invading forces in Afghanistan, neither the American people nor I will support sending an Olympic team to Moscow.

The Soviet Union is going to have to answer some basic questions:  Will it help promote a more stable international environment in which its own legitimate, peaceful concerns can be pursued?  Or will it continue to expand its military power far beyond its genuine security needs, and use that power for colonial conquest?  The Soviet Union must realize that its decision to use military force in Afghanistan will be costly to every political and economic relationship it values.

The region which is now threatened by Soviet troops in Afghanistan is of great strategic importance:  It contains more than two-thirds of the world’s exportable oil.  The Soviet effort to dominate Afghanistan has brought Soviet military forces to within 300 miles of the Indian Ocean and close to the Straits of Hormuz, a waterway through which most of the world’s oil must flow.  The Soviet Union is now attempting to consolidate a strategic position, therefore, that poses a grave threat to the free movement of Middle East oil.

This situation demands careful thought, steady nerves, and resolute action, not only for this year but for many years to come.  It demands collective efforts to meet this new threat to security in the Persian Gulf and in Southwest Asia.  It demands the participation of all those who rely on oil from the Middle East and who are concerned with global peace and stability.  And it demands consultation and close cooperation with countries in the area which might be threatened.

Meeting this challenge will take national will, diplomatic and political wisdom, economic sacrifice, and, of course, military capability.  We must call on the best that is in us to preserve the security of this crucial region.

Let our position be absolutely clear:  An attempt by any outside force to gain control of the Persian Gulf region will be regarded as an assault on the vital interests of the United States of America, and such an assault will be repelled by any means necessary, including military force.

During the past 3 years, you have joined with me to improve our own security and the prospects for peace, not only in the vital oil-producing area of the Persian Gulf region but around the world.  We’ve increased annually our real commitment for defense, and we will sustain this increase of effort throughout the Five Year Defense Program.  It’s imperative that Congress approve this strong defense budget for 1981, encompassing a 5-percent real growth in authorizations, without any reduction.