President Ford himself, with his background and the good common sense we all remember, was deeply committed to an active foreign policy, and to maintaining the strength of our military. Having fought for our country in the Second World War, he understood that events on distant shores can have a direct impact on our own security. He understood that protecting the American people requires defending our interests in far-away places. He understood that for our forces to be credible, they must be able to deploy wherever and whenever needed -- and this, in turn, requires the power to sail the oceans of the world, in control of the surface, the sub-surface, and the skies overhead. As Commander-in-Chief, Gerald R. Ford applied American influence with wisdom and foresight. He stood firmly by the men and women of the armed forces, and left office with the military in a higher state of readiness and morale than when he found it.
Government officials and family members of former U.S. President Gerald Ford salute a model of a new aircraft carrier named the USS Gerald R. Ford during a naming ceremony at the Pentagon in Washington,January 16, 2007. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier CVN 78, which Cheney said will go into service in 7-8 years, will be the first in the new Gerald R. Ford class of aircraft carriers in the U.S. Navy.