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| © Mic Smith |
"We are at war with radical Islamic terrorism," he said in a speech to cadets at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C. "It is the war of our time."
To defeat the Islamic State, Bush said, the United States must also act in conjunction with NATO allies and Arab partners.
As for the size and scope of the American presence on the ground, the Republican presidential candidate said those decisions should be made in light of recommendations from military officials.
"Some of you in this room will serve on the front lines of that fight against ISIS and against radical Islamic terrorism," he told the cadets at the military college, located in the city where the first shots of the Civil War were fired. "You will sign up for an uncertain fate, on foreign fields of battle, because your country, and the cause of freedom, are calling you."
Bush's speech-originally planned to outline ways to expand the U.S. military but retooled in the aftermath of the Paris attacks-comes amid a refocusing of the presidential race to foreign policy and national security, a shift Bush hopes will place a premium on his credentials over the lack of experience he sees in the GOP's two frontrunners, Donald Trump and Ben Carson.
But much like his presidential campaign to date, Bush's speech Wednesday invoked the specter of his brother's presidency-a legacy largely defined by his administration's invasion of Iraq in 2003. While other GOP candidates, including John Kasich and Lindsey Graham, have called for U.S. ground troops to combat ISIS, Bush's call carries particular weight.
He made no mention of his brother or father during the speech. Instead, he invoked President Kennedy.
"America, as John F. Kennedy said, ‘requires only one kind of defense policy, a policy summed up in a single word: ‘first,'" Bush said. "If we are to take command of our future, we must ensure our military is ‘first. Period.' Once again."
The former Florida governor has tried for several months to blame ISIS' rise on the current administration, namely President Obama's decision to draw down troops from Iraq in a way Bush believes created a vacuum that terrorists have filled. Bush has also criticized cuts made to Pentagon funding through the GOP-devised but bipartisan-approved sequestration program. He called for the cuts to be reversed in order to grow the military amid the ISIS war. Bush also suggested several Defense Department reforms to help free up funds.
And more broadly, Bush is trying to position himself as the "adult in the room" when it comes to national security challenges. With his campaign lagging behind not only Trump and Carson but also former mentee Marco Rubio-who is campaigning on his own foreign policy credentials-Bush hoping his experience and management skills become more valued in a presidential contest that has so far rewarded political novices.
"This brutal savagery is a reminder of what is at stake in this election," Bush said of the Paris attacks. "We are choosing the leader of the free world. And if these attacks remind us of anything, it is that we are living in serious times that require serious leadership."
Bush also set up a general election contrast between the parties when it comes to defense, as GOP presidential candidates have largely advocated for a most robust military presence. "I reject their diminished view of America's role in the world," Bush said of the Democratic candidates.
Like many Republicans, he invoked Ronald Reagan's call for "peace through strength," an approach Bush said would require "rebuilding" U.S. military forces.
Bush said he would increase the size of the Army by 40,000 active-duty soldiers and increase the size of the Marine Corps by 4,000. He called for a new generation of aircraft "so that our planes aren't older than our pilots"; a larger naval fleet and submarine improvements; and modernizing the U.S. nuclear program. Bush also cited improvements to intelligence gathering and cybersecurity programs as urgent needs, along with restoration of parts of the Patriot Act that were allowed to expire earlier this year.
Acknowledging concerns that beefing up the military would add to the deficit, Bush also argued that "we cannot and will not simply throw money at this problem." He advocated Pentagon reforms including clearer lines of authority, cutting administrative costs, increasing competition among defense contractors to make necessary supplies, machinery and equipment more affordable, and reducing the civilian workforce.
And in regards to his anti-ISIS strategy, Bush pointed to proposals he outlined in a speech at the Reagan Presidential Library over the summer that included a no-fly zone and the creation of safe areas in Syria; arming Kurdish forces to join the fight against ISIS; the continuation of airstrikes; and the deployment of special operations forces.
In South Carolina, a key primary state where Bushes have been historically successful, the former two-term governor focused on the commander-in-chief aspect of the presidency.
"It would be my mission that, should you be sent into harm's way, that you be given every tool to wage war with lethal force and efficiency," he told the young cadets.
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