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AMENDMENT NO. 2077

(Purpose: To state the sense of the Senate on protecting the United States from ballistic missile attack)

On page 371, below line 21, add the following:

(a) Findings: The Senate makes the following findings:

(1) The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles presents a threat to the entire World.

(2) This threat was recognized by Secretary of Defense William J. Perry in February 1995 in the Annual Report to the President and the Congress which states that `[b]eyond the five declared nuclear weapons states, at least 20 other nations have acquired or are attempting to acquire weapons of mass destruction--nuclear, biological, or chemical weapons--and the means to deliver them. In fact, in most areas where United States forces could potentially be engaged on a large scale, many of the most likely adversaries already possess chemical and biological weapons. Moreover, some of these same states appear determined to acquire nuclear weapons.'.

(3) At a summit in Moscow in May 1995, President Clinton and President Yeltsin commented on this threat in a Joint Statement which recognizes `. . . the threat posed by worldwide proliferation of missiles and missile technology and the necessity of counteracting this threat . . . '.

(4) At least 25 countries may be developing weapons of mass destruction and the delivery systems for such weapons.

(5) At least 24 countries have chemical weapons programs in various stages of research and development.

(6) Approximately 10 countries are believed to have biological weapons programs in various stages of development.

(7) At least 10 countries are reportedly interested in the development of nuclear weapons.

(8) Several countries recognize that weapons of mass destruction and missiles increase their ability to deter, coerce, or otherwise threaten the United States. Saddam Hussein recognized this when he stated, on May 8, 1990, that `[o]ur missiles cannot reach Washington. If they could reach Washington, we would strike it if the need arose.'.

(9) International regimes like the Non-Pro-liferation Treaty, the Biological Weapons Convention, and the Missile Technology Control Regime, while effective, cannot by themselves halt the spread of weapons and technology. On January 10, 1995, Director of Central Intelligence, James Woolsey, said with regard to Russia that `. . . we are particularly concerned with the safety of nuclear, chemical, and biological materials as well as highly enriched uranium or plutonium, although I want to stress that this is global problem. For example, highly enriched uranium was recently stolen from South Africa, and last month Czech authorities recovered three kilograms of 87.8 percent-enriched HEU in the Czech Republic--the largest seizure of near-weapons grade material to date outside the Former Soviet Union.'.

(10) The possession of weapons of mass destruction and missiles by developing countries threatens our friends, allies, and forces abroad and will ultimately threaten the United States directly. On August 11, 1994, Deputy Secretary of Defense John Deutch said that `[i]f the North Koreans field the Taepo Dong 2 missile, Guam, Alaska, and parts of Hawaii would potentially be at risk.'.

(11) The end of Cold War has changed the strategic environmental facing and between the United States and Russia. That the Clinton Administration believes the environment to have changed was made clear by Secretary of Defense William J. Perry on September 20, 1994, when he stated that `[w]e now have the opportunity to create a new relationship, based not on MAD, not on Mutual Assured Destruction, but rather on another acronym, MAS, or Mutural Assured Safety.'.

(12) The United States and Russia have the opportunity to create a relationship based on trust rather than fear.

(b) Sense of Senate: It is the sense of the Senate that all Americans should be protected from accidental, intentional, or limited ballstic missile attack.



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