[Congressional Bills 103th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 37 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

103d CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 37

To state the sense of the Congress with respect to the proliferation of 
                   space launch vehicle technologies.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

               August 6 (legislative day, June 30), 1993

  Mr. Bingaman (for himself, Mr. McCain, and Mr. Glenn) submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
To state the sense of the Congress with respect to the proliferation of 
                   space launch vehicle technologies.

    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),

SECTION 1. SENSE OF CONGRESS RELATING TO THE PROLIFERATION OF SPACE 
              LAUNCH VEHICLE TECHNOLOGIES.

    (a) Findings.--The Congress finds the following:
            (1) The United States has joined with other nations in the 
        Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) which restricts the 
        transfer of missiles or equipment or technology that could 
        contribute to the design, development or production of missiles 
        capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction.
            (2) Missile technology is indistinguishable from and 
        interchangeable with space launch vehicle technology.
            (3) Transfers of missile technology or space launch vehicle 
        technology cannot be safeguarded in a manner that would provide 
        timely warning of diversion for military purposes.
            (4) It has been United States policy since agreeing to the 
        guidelines of the Missile Technology Control Regime to treat 
        the sale or transfer of space launch vehicle technology as 
        restrictively as the sale or transfer of missile technology.
            (5) Previous congressional action on missile proliferation, 
        notably title XVII of the National Defense Authorization Act 
        for Fiscal Year 1991 (Public Law 101-510; 104 Stat. 1738), has 
        explicitly supported this policy through such actions as the 
        statutory definition of the term ``missile'' to mean ``a 
        category I system as defined in the MTCR Annex, and any other 
        unmanned delivery system of similar capability, as well as the 
        specially designed production facilities for these systems''.
            (6) There is strong evidence that emerging national space 
        launch programs in the Third World are not economically viable.
            (7) The United States has successfully dissuaded countries 
        from pursuing space launch vehicle programs in part by offering 
        to cooperate with them in other areas of space science and 
        technology.
            (8) The United States has successfully dissuaded other MTCR 
        adherents, and countries who have agreed to abide by MTCR 
        guidelines, from providing assistance to emerging national 
        space launch programs in the Third World.
    (b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that--
            (1) the Congress supports the strict interpretation by the 
        United States of the Missile Technology Control Regime 
        concerning--
                    (A) the inability to distinguish space launch 
                vehicle technology from missile technology under the 
                regime; and
                    (B) the inability to safeguard space launch vehicle 
                technology in a manner that would provide timely 
                warning of its diversion to military purposes; and
            (2) the United States and the governments of other nations 
        adhering to the Missile Technology Control Regime should be 
        recognized for--
                    (A) the success of such governments in restricting 
                the export of space launch vehicle technology and of 
                missile technology; and
                    (B) the significant contribution made by the 
                imposition of such restrictions to reducing the 
                proliferation of missile technology capable of being 
                used to deliver weapons of mass destruction.
    (c) Definitions.--In this section:
            (1) The term ``Missile Technology Control Regime'' or 
        ``MTCR'' means the policy statement, between the United States, 
        the United Kingdom, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, 
        Italy, Canada, and Japan, announced on April 16, 1987, to 
        restrict sensitive missile-relevant transfers based on the MTCR 
        Annex, and any amendments thereto.
            (2) The term ``MTCR Annex'' means the Guidelines and 
        Equipment and Technology Annex of the Missile Technology 
        Control Regime, and any amendments thereto.

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