Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Title:  "Gulf Crisis Underscores Importance of SDI Strategy." According to Strategic Defense Initiative Office Director Henry Cooper, the growing threat that countries like Iraq may soon pose has underscored the importance of SDI. (900829)

Author:  MARSHALL, RICK (USIA STAFF WRITER)
Date:  19900829

Text:
*EUR307

08/29/90 * 1DE RE GULF CRISIS UNDERSCORES IMPORTANCE OF SDI STRATEGY (SDIO Director Cooper on Iraq, Congress) (290) By Rick Marshall USIA Staff Writer

Washington -- The growing threat that countries like Iraq may soon be able to launch ballistic missile attacks has underscored the importance President Bush attaches to SDI, the new director of the Strategic Defense Initiative Office (SDIO), Ambassador Henry Cooper, said at the Heritage Foundation August 29.

Cooper, until recently the chief U.S. negotiator at the Geneva-based Defense and Space Talks, pointed to the improvements Iraq has made to its SCUD missiles and noted in particular that Baghdad is working on a missile with a 2,000 kilometer range.

Deploying defenses against this kind of threat is entirely consistent with SDI strategy, he noted. "Gone forever are the days" when the Soviet Union was the only country whose missiles threatened the United States and its allies, he observed.

In some ways SDI appears to have had a positive impact on the Soviet Union, Cooper said, crediting the program with pushing Moscow back to the negotiating table in 1985 and ultimately forcing the country to re-evaluate its policies.

At the same time, Cooper noted that the Soviets continue to pursue strategic modernization. In addition, Moscow generally spends "a great deal more" than the United States does on air and strategic defense programs, he added. "We can't bury our heads in the sand and pretend that the threat is no longer there," he commented.

Asked how he intends to approach those members of Congress who do not support SDI, Cooper pointed to the need to build trust. "I believe that our representatives want what is best for America." The task is to get them to understand SDI is potential, he said. NNNN

File Identification:  08/29/90, EU-307; 08/29/90, NE-309
Product Name:  Wireless File
Product Code:  WF
Keywords:  COOPER, HENRY/Policy; STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE/Policy; STRATEGIC DEFENSE INITIATIVE ORGANIZATION (SDIO); PERSIAN GULF CRISIS; IRAQ/Defense & Military; MILITARY CAPABILITIES/Policy
Thematic Codes:  2DE; 1NE
Target Areas:  EU; NE
PDQ Text Link:  152620