US President George W. Bush has linked the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to World War II asking the country for postwar rebuilding.

In a prepared address for Wednesday to more than 1,000 graduates of the US Air Force Academy, released by the White House, Bush framed the graduates' future to the World War II generation and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars to postwar Germany and Japan six decades ago.

Bush said, "After World War II, we helped Germany and Japan build free societies and strong economies. These efforts took time and patience, and as a result Germany and Japan grew in freedom and prosperity and are now allies of the United States."

He added, "Today we must do the same in Afghanistan and Iraq and by helping these young democracies grow in freedom and prosperity we will once again reap the benefits in generations of security and peace."

Meanwhile, the country is still in debate over whether the Iraq war has bolstered the US security or weakened it.