The men and women of America’s Armed Forces are on duty tonight in many parts of the world.  I’m proud of the job they are doing, and I know you share that pride.  I believe that our volunteer forces are adequate for current defense needs, and I hope that it will not become necessary to impose a draft.  However, we must be prepared for that possibility.  For this reason, I have determined that the Selective Service System must now be revitalized.  I will send legislation and budget proposals to the Congress next month so that we can begin registration and then meet future mobilization needs rapidly if they arise.

We also need clear and quick passage of a new charter to define the legal authority and accountability of our intelligence agencies.  We will guarantee that abuses do not recur, but we must tighten our controls on sensitive intelligence information, and we need to remove unwarranted restraints on America’s ability to collect intelligence.

The decade ahead will be a time of rapid change, as nations everywhere seek to deal with new problems and age-old tensions.  But America need have no fear.  We can thrive in a world of change if we remain true to our values and actively engaged in promoting world peace.  We will continue to work as we have for peace in the Middle East and southern Africa.  We will continue to build our ties with developing nations, respecting and helping to strengthen their national independence which they have struggled so hard to achieve.  And we will continue to support the growth of democracy and the protection of human rights.

In repressive regimes, popular frustrations often have no outlet except through violence.  But when peoples and their governments can approach their problems together through open, democratic methods, the basis for stability and peace is far more solid and far more enduring.  That is why our support for human rights in other countries is in our own national interest as well as part of our own national character.

Peace—­a peace that preserves freedom—­remains America’s first goal.  In the coming years, as a mighty nation we will continue to pursue peace.  But to be strong abroad we must be strong at home.  And in order to be strong, we must continue to face up to the difficult issues that confront us as a nation today.

The crises in Iran and Afghanistan have dramatized a very important lesson:  Our excessive dependence on foreign oil is a clear and present danger to our Nation’s security.  The need has never been more urgent.  At long last, we must have a clear, comprehensive energy policy for the United States.

As you well know, I have been working with the Congress in a concentrated and persistent way over the past 3 years to meet this need.  We have made progress together.  But Congress must act promptly now to complete final action on this vital energy legislation.  Our Nation will then have a major conservation effort, important initiatives to develop solar power, realistic pricing based on the true value of oil, strong incentives for the production of coal and other fossil fuels in the United States, and our Nation’s most massive peacetime investment in the development of synthetic fuels.