Page 2 - Bush Adminis News Today

Congress and the American people need to understand that, despiterecent progress in putting missile defense systems in the field,the U.S. remains largely vulnerable to the ballistic missilethreat. The Bush Administration and Congress need to accelerate theeffort to develop and deploy effective missile defense by focusingon systems that offer the greatest capability.

The Bush Administration and Congress have made progress in someareas of public diplomacy, but the United States will lag inforeign outreach unless bureaucratic structures are streamlined,better coordinated, and focused on tasks at hand.

Because India's increased economic and political involvement inAsia will help to further overall U.S. goals in the region, theU.S. should increasingly factor India into its broader Asiapolicies and seek multiple forms of engagement in the region thatinclude Indian participation, such as a trilateral dialogue amongIndia, Japan, and the U.S.