From the Washington Times, May 31, 1996
Woolsey Disputes Clinton, Missile-Threat Assessment
President Clinton's former CIA director yesterday accused the administration of playing down the threat of missile attack from Russia, China or elsewhere.
R. James Woolsey, who headed the nation's spy apparatus during the first two years of the Clinton administration, told a House committee that the administration has understated the missile threat on multiple fronts.
In particular, Mr. Woolsey criticized a frequently quoted National Intelligence Estimate that found little threat of a missile attack on the contiguous 48 states until well into the next century.
`I believe that the `contiguous 48' reference . . . can lead to a badly distorted and minimized perception of the serious threats we face from ballistic missiles now and in the very near future--threats to our friends, our allies, our overseas bases and military forces, our overseas territories and some of the 50 states,' Mr. Woolsey told the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee.
A White House official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the United States has theater missile defenses that could be rushed into place to protect Alaska and Hawaii should a threat arise.
He said the administration was `absolutely in agreement' that the threat of terrorism must be met, but said Mr. Clinton opposes rushing a system into place when a slower pace might result in a better defense.
In his testimony, Mr. Woolsey said the chances of missile terrorism increase as potentially hostile states improve their technology.
`It is quite reasonable to believe that within a few years [Iraqi leader] Saddam Hussein or the Chinese rulers will be able to threaten something far more troubling than firings of relatively inaccurate ballistic missiles,' Mr. Woolsey said. `They may quite plausibly be able to threaten to destroy, say, the Knesset [Israel's parliament], or threaten to create, in effect, an international Chernobyl incident at a Taiwanese nuclear power plant.'
Mr. Woolsey, now practicing law in Washington, has been embraced by Republicans seeking funding to deploy a national missile-defense system by 2003: Mr. Woolsey said after the hearing that he supports legislation sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, and House Speaker Newt Gingrich to deploy the missile-defense system.
In an apparent endorsement of current administration priorities, Mr. Woolsey said the Pentagon should place `primary importance' on developing theater missile defenses while pursuing `a sound program to move toward some type of national defense.' But Mr. Woolsey criticized several aspects of administration policy. Specifically, Mr. Woolsey:
Criticized the administration for trimming funding for some theater-defense systems.
Questioned the administration decision to make highly accurate global-positioning-system technology available commercially, a move that enemies could use to make their missiles even more accurate.
Disputed Mr. Clinton's assertion that U.S. intelligence does not foresee an emerging ballistic-missile threat in the coming decade.
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