[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 1285 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







107th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 1285

  To provide the President with flexibility to set strategic nuclear 
 delivery system levels to meet United States national security goals.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             July 31, 2001

  Mr. Corzine introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
              referred to the Committee on Armed Services

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
  To provide the President with flexibility to set strategic nuclear 
 delivery system levels to meet United States national security goals.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION. 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Strategic Arms Flexibility Act of 
2001''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    The Congress makes the following findings:
            (1) Reducing the levels of strategic nuclear weapons around 
        the world is in the national security interest of the United 
        States.
            (2) The strategic arms reduction treaty referred to as the 
        START I Treaty, signed in 1991 and entered into force in 1994, 
        commits the United States and Russia to a limitation of 
        approximately 6,000 strategic nuclear weapons each.
            (3) The strategic arms reduction treaty referred to as the 
        START II Treaty, signed in 1993, ratified by the United States 
        in 1996 and by Russia in 2000, and scheduled to be implemented 
        by 2007, limits each country to 3,000-3,500 strategic nuclear 
        weapons.
            (4) The nuclear force levels permitted the United States 
        under the START II Treaty are sufficient to allow the United 
        States to meet its strategic requirements as determined by the 
        most recent Nuclear Posture Review and the Single Integrated 
        Operating Plan.
            (5) Section 1302 of the National Defense Authorization Act 
        for Fiscal Year 1998 (Public Law 105-85), enacted on November 
        18, 1997, prohibits the retirement or dismantlement of United 
        States strategic nuclear delivery systems below the START I 
        levels until the START II Treaty enters into force.
            (6) The original purpose of the prohibition under section 
        1302, to encourage Russia to ratify the START II Treaty, was 
        achieved when the Russian Duma approved it on April 2000.
            (7) In 1999, Congress amended section 1302 to allow the 
        President flexibility to retire four Trident ballistic missile 
        submarines as provided by the START II Treaty, but not other 
        strategic nuclear delivery systems such as missiles and 
        bombers, before that treaty enters into force.
            (8) Unless additional flexibility is granted the President, 
        the Department of Defense will spend more than $700,000,000 
        through 2007, when the START II Treaty is implemented, to 
        retain 50 Peacekeeper missiles that have been determined to be 
        superfluous to maintenance of the United States nuclear 
        deterrent.
            (9) President George W. Bush has called for reductions in 
        the United States strategic arsenal below the START II levels 
        and for removing nuclear weapons from high alert status.
            (10) Repeal of the limitation under section 1302 would give 
        the President the flexibility to set strategic nuclear weapons 
        delivery system levels to meet overall national security goals 
        and the requirements of the next Nuclear Posture Review.

SEC. 3. REPEAL OF LIMITATION ON RETIREMENT OR DISMANTLEMENT OF 
              STRATEGIC NUCLEAR DELIVERY SYSTEMS.

    Section 1302 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal 
Year 1998 (Public Law 105-85) is repealed.
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