[Congressional Bills 104th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 100 Introduced in House (IH)]


104th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. CON. RES. 100

 Expressing the sense of Congress that the national security policy of 
 the United States should be based upon a national strategy for peace 
                           through strength.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 6, 1995

Mr. Hunter (for himself, Mr. Browder, Mr. Cunningham, Mr. Edwards, Mr. 
Gilman, Ms. Harman, Mr. Hyde, Mr. Laughlin, Mr. Montgomery, Mr. Murtha, 
    Mr. Spence, and Mr. Wilson) submitted the following concurrent 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of Congress that the national security policy of 
 the United States should be based upon a national strategy for peace 
                           through strength.
    Whereas a steadfast and bipartisan Peace Through Strength Strategy 
            won the Cold War;
    Whereas one of the great assurances of peace is being prepared for 
            war;
    Whereas military capability, once lost, is very expensive to 
            regain, very difficult to regain, and very time-consuming 
            to regain;
    Whereas since the end of the Cold War the United States has been 
            dramatically reducing the strength and readiness of the 
            Armed Forces;
    Whereas in an increasingly interdependent world, the United States 
            cannot achieve foreign and domestic policy goals nor 
            maintain credibility abroad if it does not sustain economic 
            dynamism and competitiveness both at home and abroad;
    Whereas the United States faces security problems throughout the 
            world due to a variety of causes, including nationalism and 
            religious and ethnic differences; and
    Whereas the House of Representatives, in the One Hundred Second 
            Congress, unanimously passed House Resolution 284 calling 
            for ``the development of a comprehensive, coordinated 
            strategy'' which ``will help the United States achieve its 
            goal of being the strongest Nation on Earth economically 
            and militarily, so that it remain the greatest Nation in 
            support of human dignity, freedom, and democratic ideals'': 
            Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That it is the sense of Congress that, to guide the United States 
toward a new era of peace, freedom, and prosperity through the 
enhancement of moral, economic, and military strength, the President 
and Congress should adopt a Peace Through Strength Strategy for the 
post-Cold War era, the general principles and goals of which are as 
follows:
            (1) Global leadership.--The United States must accept and 
        maintain global leadership through a clear and consistent 
        articulation of vital United States national interests and 
        goals. One of those vital United States national interests is 
        maintaining and enhancing United States peace with freedom and 
        prosperity, which can best be achieved by strengthening and 
        asserting the moral, economic, and military principles stated 
        in paragraphs (2) through (10).
            (2) National preparedness.--To deter aggression and defend 
        vital United States national interests, it is essential for the 
        United States to maintain highly trained, well-equipped, and 
        combat-ready military forces (composed of the active forces, 
        the Reserves, and the National Guard) and the national will to 
        prevail in any conflict. It is essential to establish and 
        maintain the capability to defend the United States against 
        weapons of mass destruction, especially weapons delivered by 
        ballistic missiles. The use of military force by the United 
        States must be a thoughtful, publicly supported action of last 
        resort, applied decisively to achieve clearly stated objectives 
        that are consistent with a vital national interest of the 
        United States.
            (3) Cooperative security.--United States national security 
        and national interests are promoted through participation in 
        global and regional political, military, and economic 
        organizations, treaties, and alliances. However, the United 
        States must always retain its sovereignty and reserve the right 
        to act unilaterally in accord with its own interests. United 
        States Armed Forces should not serve under foreign command 
        without certification by the President that such a command 
        arrangement is essential for reasons of national security.
            (4) Economic security.--National wealth and economic 
        strength are the foundation of all forms of power. National 
        economic policy must be to foster private enterprise, to 
        promote successful competition in the global marketplace, and 
        to ensure free and fair access to critical resources and 
        international markets.
            (5) Fiscal responsibility.--The economic vitality of the 
        United States rests not only on free market competitiveness, 
        but also on responsible financial management. National policy 
        must be to reduce the size of the Federal Government, to 
        balance the Federal budget, and to erase the national debt in a 
        systematic manner that does not undermine economic growth or 
        national security.
            (6) Vigilance.--The United States must expand effective 
        human and technical intelligence capabilities in order to 
        ensure the capability to anticipate, detect, and respond to 
        emerging military, economic, and political threats.
            (7) Other security threats.--The United States will act to 
        lessen, prevent, and eliminate security threats, including 
        threats posed by the proliferation of weapons of mass 
        destruction and of high technology conventional arms, 
        terrorism, drug trafficking, and disruption of access to vital 
        resources.
            (8) National unity.--The principal goals of the United 
        States have always been peace and freedom. To achieve these 
        goals requires the active involvement of a broad range of the 
        citizenry of the United States. For this reason, national 
        security policy must be explained to the public in the clear 
        context of national interests and a realistic strategy for 
        protecting those interests. By identifying United States goals 
        and the means to achieve them, the national strategy of Peace 
        Through Strength will unite the American people behind their 
        Government in world affairs.
            (9) Technological superiority.--The United States must 
        maintain a strong technological and industrial base with a 
        skilled workforce to fully support superior United States 
        global economic competitiveness and military preparedness. At 
        the same time, safeguards must be placed against the transfer 
        of potentially dangerous technology to foreign powers hostile 
        to the interests of the United States.
            (10) Energy independence.--The United States must 
        systematically and sharply reduce its dependence on imported 
        oil through the fostering of conservation, the expansion of the 
        use of nuclear power and clean coal technology, and the 
        development of new and environmentally compatible fuels, 
        renewable sources of energy, or both.
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