[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 38 (Monday, March 30, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2759-S2760]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                AMERICAN MISSILE PROTECTION ACT OF 1998

  Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that Senator 
Enzi be added as a cosponsor to S. 1873, the American Missile 
Protection Act of 1998.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  Mr. COCHRAN. Madam President, this bill was introduced by Senator 
Inouye and me on March 19. After we sent a letter to all Senators 
inviting cosponsors, we received a very positive response. I am pleased 
to advise the Senate that with the addition of Senator Enzi, there are 
now 40 cosponsors of S. 1873.
  This bill would make it the policy of the United States to deploy as 
soon as technologically possible an effective national missile defense 
system capable of defending the territory of the United States against 
limited ballistic missile attack, whether accidental, unauthorized or 
deliberate.
  We believe this policy is necessary because of the growing 
proliferation threat. The proliferation threat includes both weapons of 
mass destruction and long-range ballistic missile delivery systems.
  The fact is that determining how quickly the United States will be 
facing an ICBM threat from a rogue nation is difficult to estimate. The 
Director of Central Intelligence recognized this point last year when 
he said to the Senate, ``Gaps and uncertainties preclude a good 
projection of exactly when `rest of the world' countries will deploy 
ICBMs.''

  That ``gaps and uncertainties'' exist is not an indictment of our 
intelligence agencies. We have many fine and dedicated people in the 
intelligence community who have devoted their professional careers to 
obtaining information about and analyzing proliferation. But it is 
extremely difficult to predict accurately just how quickly technology 
will move forward and will be made in certain countries.
  Predicting the rate of technological advance would be difficult even 
if rogue states were to accept no outside assistance in their pursuit 
of mass destruction weapons and missile delivery platforms of ever-
increasing range. But adding the knowledge now available in the 
information age to anyone with a computer and a telephone line to the 
fact that some nations are actively assisting pursuit of these 
capabilities makes for a situation in which predictions can be outdated 
soon after they are made.
  Take, for example, the case of the Shahab-3 and Shahab-4, two 
intermediate-range ballistic missiles Iran is pursuing with substantial 
help from Russian organizations. Last Friday's Washington Times carried 
an article entitled ``Pentagon Confirms Details on Iranian Missiles.'' 
It describes this situation, and I think it is very alarming.
  It is no secret that Iran is pursuing these missiles. The Shahab-3, 
with a range of 1,300 kilometers, will be capable of striking U.S. 
forces throughout the Middle East and our close allies in the region as 
well. The Shahab-4, with a range of 2,000 kilometers, will be able to 
reach into Central Europe.
  We all understand that neither of these missiles will have the range 
to strike the United States unless they are launched from some kind of 
a mobile platform, like a ship. But the important point is that these 
missiles are proceeding at a much more rapid pace than anticipated just 
last year, and the reason these missiles can be ready sooner than we 
expected is because of Russian expertise provided to Iran.
  In February the Director of Central Intelligence testified to the 
Senate:

       . . . since I testified, Iran's success in getting 
     technology and materials from Russian companies, combined 
     with recent indigenous Iranian advances, means that it could 
     have a medium-range missile much sooner than I assessed last 
     year.

  Madam President, the very kind of outside assistance that is speeding 
this Shahab-3 along so rapidly could also contribute in a similar way 
to the acquisition of long-range ballistic missiles by rogue nations. 
These kinds of nations are interested in ICBMs because they make the 
United States vulnerable to coercion or intimidation in time of crisis. 
It is a vulnerability that disappears when an effective national 
missile defense is deployed.
  That is why we have introduced the American Missile Protection Act of 
1998. America should end its ICBM vulnerability as soon as the 
technology is available.
  Madam President, given the uncertainties about just when other 
nations will possess ICBMs, it only makes sense to be clear now in our 
commitment to deploy defenses against these systems as soon as the 
technology is ready. If the choice is to deploy a national missile 
defense capable against a limited threat 1 year too soon or 1 year too 
late, let it be 1 year too soon. The lesson of the Shahab-3 is that 
even the best intentioned estimates can be wrong.
  I ask unanimous consent, Madam President, that the article I referred 
to from the Washington Times be printed in the Record.
  There being no objection, the article was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

               [From the Washington Times, Mar. 27, 1998]

             Pentagon Confirms Details on Iranian Missiles

                            (By Bill Gertz)

       The Pentagon identified Iran's two medium-range ballistic 
     missiles for the first

[[Page S2760]]

     time publicly this week, giving their ranges and also 
     providing details on an older Chinese nuclear-tipped missile.
       Iran's Shahab-3 missile will have a range of about 800 
     miles and a second version, the Shahab-4, will be able to hit 
     targets as far as 1,240 miles away, according to Senate 
     testimony by Air Force Lt. Gen. Lester Lyles, director of the 
     Ballistic Missile Defense Organization.
       It was the first time the Pentagon has confirmed the 
     existence of the Shahab missiles, which were disclosed last 
     year by The Washington Times.
       U.S. intelligence officials have said the missiles could be 
     deployed within two years and that both Russia and China 
     provided materials and technology.
       ``The development of long-range ballistic missiles is part 
     of Iran's effort to become a major regional military power 
     and Iran could field a [medium-range ballistic missile] 
     system in the first half of the next decade,'' a Pentagon 
     official said.
       The chart made public Tuesday identified the Iranian and 
     Chinese missiles as potential targets for U.S. regional 
     missile defense systems under development. It was part of 
     Gen. Lyles' testimony before the Senate Armed Services 
     Committee.
       The chart also listed the range of China's CSS-2 nuclear 
     missile, which has a range of about 1,860 miles and is the 
     only intermediate-range missile ever exported. Saudi Arabia 
     purchased about 40 of the missiles. China has deployed about 
     40 CSS-2s for more than 25 years.
       According to an Air Force intelligence report obtained by 
     The Times last year, the CSS-2 is being replaced by China's 
     new and more capable CSS-5. About 40 CSS-5s, with a ranges of 
     about 1,333 miles, have been deployed, and a more accurate 
     version, is awaiting deployment.
       The chart showed two Scud missiles with ranges of between 
     62 and 186 miles, China's M-9 missile with a 372-mile range, 
     and the North Korean Nodong, with a 620-mile range.
       Meanwhile, Pentagon officials yesterday disclosed new 
     details of global missile deployments and developments that 
     will be made public in a report due out next week.
       The officials, who declined to be named, revealed that 
     Russia and China are developing new short-range missiles 
     called the SSX-26 and CSSX-7, respectively. Both will have 
     ranges greater than 185 miles. Egypt also has a new 425-mile-
     range missile called Vector, they said.
       Pakistan and India also have new missiles and are in the 
     process of building longer-range systems, the officials said. 
     Pakistan's will have a 700-mile range and India is working on 
     a longer-range version of the Agni missile with a 1,250-mile 
     range.
       The new missiles could be used in regional conflicts, armed 
     with nuclear, chemical or biological warheads, or against 
     U.S. troops abroad. There is also the danger that they might 
     be transferred to rogue nations.
       According to the Pentagon, more than 19 developing nations 
     currently possess short-range ballistic missiles and six 
     others have acquired or are building longer-range missiles 
     with ranges greater than 600 miles.
       North Korea has three longer-range missiles dubbed Nodong 
     and Taepodong 1 and 2. They have ranges of between 600 miles 
     and 3,700 miles--enough to hit Alaska.
       The longer-range missiles of China, Saudi Arabia, North 
     Korea, India, Pakistan and Iran ``are strategic systems and 
     most will be armed with nonconventional warheads,'' one 
     official said.
       Missile states of concern include Afghanistan, Belarus, 
     Bulgaria, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Libya, 
     North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Slovakia, Syria, Turkmenistan, 
     Ukraine, Vietnam and Yemen.

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