Bush comment on Iraq armour; Pentagon briefing

(10 Dec 2004) APTN Washington DC - 9 December 2004 1. Wide view of meeting 2. Pan view from cameraman to Bush 3. SOUNDBITE (English) George W. Bush, US President: "The concerns expressed are being addressed and that is that we expect our troops to have the best possible equipment. And, if I were a soldier overseas wanting to defend my country I would want to ask the secretary of defence the same and that is 'Are we getting the best we can get us?' And they deserve the best and I have told many families I met with we are doing everything we possibly can to protect your loved ones in a mission that is vital and important. And that mission is to spread freedom and peace and I want to thank all of the troops who will be spending their Christmas season overseas away from their families for their sacrifice and I want to thank the families once again for the sacrifices they have made as well." 4. Mid view of Bush 5. Pull back from reporters to cameraman APTN Arlington, Virginia - 9 December 2004 6. Pan view from Pentagon spokesman to reporters (during two-way briefing) POOL US Military Base - Kuwait - 9 December 2004 7. SOUNDBITE (English) Lieutenant General R. Steven Whitcomb, Commander, Third US Army and Coalition Forces Land Component Command: "This is not something new, this is not a revelation. It started back, as I said, in 2003 and as the enemy has changed his tactics and techniques and procedures for attacking our forces, we have done the same. And that has led us to this programme that we've got to armour our equipment to protect our kids as they go out. I don't need to tell you how seriously we take this. I look at casualty reports every day. I look at how soldiers were injured and so we look at that, we look and talk to soldiers in hospitals and so we understand that none of us wants to send a young man or women into harms way without adequate protection." APTN Arlington, Virginia - 9 December 2004 8. Cutaway reporters (during two-way briefing) POOL Washington DC - 9 December 2004 9. Mid view of Nancy Pelosi at podium 10. SOUNDBITE (English) Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, Democrat, California, House Minority leader: "To compare the Army we have with the Army we want is irrelevant. The Secretary, as the Secretary of Defence, is charged with making sure that the Army we have has what it needs before we send it into harms way and that is certainly more true in a war of choice. These brave men and women risk their lives for our country every day and their noble service is unquestionably made more dangerous because of Secretary Rumsfeld's failure to provide them with the vehicle and body armour they need." 11. Pan view of Pelosi leaving room STORYLINE: A day after being challenged by a soldier on the US Army's failure to provide adequate armour for vehicles used in Iraq, US defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Thursday he expects the military to do its best to resolve the problem. Thousands of miles away, US president George W. Bush echoed Rumsfeld's sentiments. Speaking in the Oval Office, Bush said the concerns expressed were being addressed and that he expected "our troops to have the best possible equipment". During a visit to the Indian capital New Dehli, Rumsfeld said it was good that ordinary soldiers are given a chance to express their concerns. Those complaints, and others, were aired on Wednesday when Rumsfeld held a "town hall" style meeting with about 23-hundred soldiers at Camp Buehring in northern Kuwait, a transit camp for troops heading into Iraq. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...