Military

Statement by

Chairman Henry J. Hyde

Hearing on "Loose Nukes, Biological Weapons, and Chemical Warfare:
Using Russian Debt to Enhance Non-Proliferation"

July 25, 2002

The collapse of the Soviet Union heralded a new era, liberating hundreds of millions from the chains of dictatorship and the threat of annihilation. But this miraculous event was not an unalloyed good. Throughout its seven decades, the Soviet Union operated as a gigantic war machine, its economy, energies, and resources devoted to creating the means for the destruction of its endless enemies. The world has inherited the massive arsenal left behind and, with it, a mortal threat.

For well over a decade, we have been alert to the dangers posed by the combination of this deadly legacy and the frayed guarantees of its continued control. To secure these weapons and materials and the vast infrastructure that made possible their creation and manufacture, we have invested billions of dollars and tremendous effort, and there are many successes to report. But the task is far from over and is made more urgent by the efforts of terrorists and rogue states alike to secure access to weapons of mass destruction. The smallest of gaps in our defenses can have unimaginable consequences, and the first and most important line in our defense must be to prevent that access from occurring.

Given this very real threat, we must focus our attention on devising the most effective means to counter it. There are many factors to consider, among them the lessons learned from our non-proliferation programs to date, the degree to which we can persuade our allies to share responsibility for addressing a problem that threatens us all, and the extent to which the cooperation of the Russian government is likely to be forthcoming.

I confess that this latter question causes me great concern. Russia’s record of cooperation in our existing non-proliferation programs is far from perfect, despite the commitments and assurances received or mandated by the agreements that established them. Far more disturbing is the problem of Russia’s continuing proliferation of weapons, materials, and know-how to states such as Iran and China. Clearly, if we are to be successful in preventing the world from becoming an even more dangerous place, we must receive the cooperation of our friends and allies in all areas of concern, not simply those demarcated by U.S. funding.

It is for these and other reasons that I have called today’s hearing on the proposal to use Russia’s Soviet-era debt to the United States to advance our non-proliferation efforts. The financial aspects of this innovative proposal are of considerable interest in themselves, and I look forward to a discussion of their merits and implementation. But of far greater importance is the degree to which this funding mechanism can have a positive influence on the broad range of factors I have mentioned earlier.

We have time to consider and weigh our options, but we have none to waste. Delay and indecision can only increase the risks we confront. The threat may seem distant and abstract, but we cannot allow the absence of crisis to lull us into a deceptive sleep. For then we would be certain to be awakened by a sudden alarm, one announcing the arrival of a new and darker era.

It is my hope that our discussions here today will help to equip us with the means to avoid that fate and to allow us to make secure our future and that of the entire planet as well.