The mindset of the American people should reflect one of confidence and hope. We are yet a blessed nation and we can triumph over new challenges as we pull together to create a strong and determined people. We should not live in fear nor allow it to dictate our choices. In the face of today's challenges we will exercise the same determination and innovation that Americans have always employed in overcoming threats to our nation and people. The threats are real, but so is our courage.

In addressing threats, our main focus should be prevention, not response. We need to be educated on the extent and nature of the risk of terrorism. We must be vigilant and we must be prepared. This requires a change in how we run government, a restructuring of our military and other security forces, and a new mindset among the American people. We will not wait for another terrorist attack like 9/11 to remind us how painful it is to lose loved ones, associates, and fellow citizens.

The government needs to be transformed into a government that is efficient, cost-effective, and timely. Each agency should be able to process information at the rate of the business sector and make informed, intelligent decisions that influence our security.

The military needs to be better equipped and more fully funded so that it has the means and manpower to make the transition into fighting a new kind of war-the information war, where victory is determined less by might and more by intelligence on who the enemy is, where he is, what he will do next, and how he can be defeated.

We cannot fight a new war with old weapons. During the Cold War America produced highly innovative computer technology and witnessed the dawn of the Space Age. In the Second World War, marine and aviation forces came into play, and in World War One, armored vehicles were invented. Just as the Nation overcame newly developing threats to humanity then, we can develop the means and the mindset to secure our country and our people now. Our military, our government, and our society must lead the technological, scientific, and institutional reform that is necessary to combat this new type of warfare.