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FROM [Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal Year 1998]
[Page 123-128]

10. SUPPORTING THE WORLD'S STRONGEST MILITARY FORCE

Ensuring the Nation's Security

Expanding Arms Control.--The President is strongly committed to reducing the threat of weapons of mass destruction through arms control agreements. Over the past four years, the Administration has worked hard to implement the START I treaty, indefinitely and unconditionally extend the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, obtain the signing of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), and

[[Page 125]]

achieve a Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Flank Agreement and terms of reference for follow-on CFE adaptation. The START II treaty, which the Senate approved 87 to 4 on January 26, 1996, awaits approval by the Russian Republic. Following Russian acceptance, implementing this treaty in combination with START I will reduce the number of warheads deployed on long-range missiles and bombers to a third of the Cold War level and will eliminate all land-based, multiple-warhead ICBMs.

Securing the Senate's support of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) is one of the President's top legislative priorities for this year. It is vital to national security for the United States to be an original party to this landmark agreement, which will become effective on April 29, 1997. The CWC will dramatically reduce the chemical threat to U.S. servicemembers and civilians by requiring parties to eliminate existing stockpiles and restricting the flow of dual-use chemicals that can be used to make chemical weapons. Furthermore, a global ban on the use, production, stockpiling, and transfer of anti-personnel landmines remains a Presidential priority.

Reducing Weapons of Mass Destruction in the Former Soviet Union.--The Cooperative Threat Reduction program (also called the Nunn-Lugar program) has made a major contribution to U.S. security by ensuring a safe and speedy relocation and dismantling of nuclear forces in the former Soviet Union. The budget proposes $382 million to continue this important program in 1998.

Countering Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction.--The budget also proposes almost $600 million to develop capabilities to locate and neutralize weapons of mass destruction before they can be used, and to protect our troops against their effects. High-priority efforts include developing the means to identify and destroy underground storage sites, and methods to detect and track weapons shipments. Key efforts to protect troops against chemical and biological agents include developing advanced detection devices, vaccines, and protective clothing.

Maintaining the Nation's Nuclear Deterrent: The budget proposes $5.1 billion in 1998, and $20.1 billion over the next five years, for the Department of Energy (DOE) to ensure the safety and reliability of our nuclear weapons stockpile. The $20.1 billion reflects the President's commitment to $4 billion a year for five years. The year-to-year stream in the budget reflects full ``up-front funding'' for major construction projects, which allocates a larger share of the total cost to 1998 and lower costs to later years. DOE will continue building new facilities to ensure safety and reliability without underground testing. The President is committed to the CTBT, which would prohibit all nuclear testing and which he signed in September at the United Nations. The Administration plans to submit the treaty to the Senate for ratification.

Developing and Deploying Defenses Against Tactical Ballistic Missiles.--With over $2 billion in proposed funding for 1998, the Administration's Theater Missile Defense (TMD) program will provide defenses against missiles that directly threaten American and allied ground, naval, and air forces deployed abroad. Funding for TMD supports initial procurement of an advanced version of the Patriot missile, as well as development of advanced systems to meet future threats.

Developing Technologies to Defend Against Strategic Ballistic Missiles.--The budget proposes $0.5 billion in 1998 for a vigorous effort to develop the elements of a national missile defense system to protect the United States. Although we do not need such a system now, the development of a contingency capability will ensure that deployment could proceed rapidly, if a missile threat to the United States should emerge sooner than our intelligence community now estimates. A decision now to force early deployment would not only waste billions of dollars, it would force adoption of immature technologies that are unlikely to provide an effective defense.