On June 14, 1775, the Continental Congress passed a resolution creating what we know today as the United States Army.
Since its establishment 250 years ago, tens of millions of American patriots have put their lives on the line to protect [our] national security, defend our allies and fight tyranny and terror from distant shores.
Today, the Army comprises roughly 450,000 active-duty servicemen, 325,000 National Guardsmen and 176,00 members of the Reserve, making the United States Army the largest branch of the military.
I want to thank our brave men and women in uniform for their sacrifices to our country.
Their dedication and their selflessness have made our nation safer, and the first priority of the federal government ought to be our own national security.
Now, we have to think back to President George Washington’s first annual address to Congress, where he said, “to be prepared for war is one of the most [effectual] means of preserving peace.”
That includes a non-negotiable tenet of America’s national security, which is “Peace through Strength.”
I’ve said before and I want to reiterate, we must be prepared at all times to stamp out aggression, because weakness is provocative.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, and a strong and capable military is the best way to do that.
In a few short weeks, we will celebrate Independence Day. I encourage all Americans to recognize and appreciate the freedoms that the Army has defended for 250 years, and I will continue to defend that in the future.
And I want to thank President Trump for bringing attention to the 250th birthday of the U.S. Army with the festivities that are going on this weekend in Washington, D.C.
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