We are also improving our capability to deploy U.S. military forces rapidly to distant areas.  We’ve helped to strengthen NATO and our other alliances, and recently we and other NATO members have decided to develop and to deploy modernized, intermediate-range nuclear forces to meet an unwarranted and increased threat from the nuclear weapons of the Soviet Union.

We are working with our allies to prevent conflict in the Middle East.  The peace treaty between Egypt and Israel is a notable achievement which represents a strategic asset for America and which also enhances prospects for regional and world peace.  We are now engaged in further negotiations to provide full autonomy for the people of the West Bank and Gaza, to resolve the Palestinian issue in all its aspects, and to preserve the peace and security of Israel.  Let no one doubt our commitment to the security of Israel.  In a few days we will observe an historic event when Israel makes another major withdrawal from the Sinai and when Ambassadors will be exchanged between Israel and Egypt.

We’ve also expanded our own sphere of friendship.  Our deep commitment to human rights and to meeting human needs has improved our relationship with much of the Third World.  Our decision to normalize relations with the People’s Republic of China will help to preserve peace and stability in Asia and in the Western Pacific.

We’ve increased and strengthened our naval presence in the Indian Ocean, and we are now making arrangements for key naval and air facilities to be used by our forces in the region of northeast Africa and the Persian Gulf.

We’ve reconfirmed our 1959 agreement to help Pakistan preserve its independence and its integrity.  The United States will take action consistent with our own laws to assist Pakistan in resisting any outside aggression.  And I’m asking the Congress specifically to reaffirm this agreement.  I’m also working, along with the leaders of other nations, to provide additional military and economic aid for Pakistan.  That request will come to you in just a few days.

Finally, we are prepared to work with other countries in the region to share a cooperative security framework that respects differing values and political beliefs, yet which enhances the independence, security, and prosperity of all.

All these efforts combined emphasize our dedication to defend and preserve the vital interests of the region and of the nation which we represent and those of our allies—­in Europe and the Pacific, and also in the parts of the world which have such great strategic importance to us, stretching especially through the Middle East and Southwest Asia.  With your help, I will pursue these efforts with vigor and with determination.  You and I will act as necessary to protect and to preserve our Nation’s security.