[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 59 (Tuesday, May 12, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S4640]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AMERICAN MISSILE PROTECTION ACT

  Mr. COCHRAN. Mr. President, let me say, first of all, that I 
appreciate very much the majority leader calling up the missile defense 
bill on yesterday. At his authorization and direction, a cloture motion 
was filed on the motion to proceed to consider that bill when an 
objection was raised by the ranking Democrat on the Armed Services 
Committee and the ranking Democrat, Senator Levin, on the International 
Security, Proliferation and Federal Services Subcommittee that I chair.
  Last year, we had a series of hearings looking into the growing 
proliferation problem in the development of weapons of mass destruction 
and missile systems to deliver those weapons by countries that many in 
our Nation probably weren't aware were developing the sophistication in 
long-range missile systems that were being developed.
  I think yesterday the announcement in India of the detonation of a 
nuclear device as a test confirms once again what a dangerous 
environment we are in, in terms of proliferation of capabilities, of 
having nuclear weapons, of having missile systems that can deliver 
those weapons over a long range. To put that in context yesterday, 
Pakistan, just a few weeks ago, tested a new missile that our security 
analysts and our intelligence agencies weren't aware that they had--
another example of how we cannot predict with any degree of certainty 
or accuracy how soon countries are going to develop missile systems, 
nuclear weapons with the capability of delivering those weapons systems 
over long ranges. The Pakistani missile that was tested was a 1,500-
kilometer range missile--five times greater in capability than a report 
that was filed by the Defense Department said that Pakistan had in 
November of 1997. Think about that.
  We get an annual report from the Defense Department using the 
intelligence capabilities of our CIA, the Defense Intelligence Agency, 
National Security Agency--all of the resources that our country has, to 
put together this report for the Congress. And in November of 1997 they 
said that Pakistan had in its inventory a 300-kilometer range missile, 
and then in April they test a 1,500-kilometer range missile. What has 
happened? They have had assistance from other countries. Some say it 
was China who provided the technology and wherewithal to come up with 
this new, longer range missile. Some say it was North Korea. Pakistan 
says it was developed from within with their own technology, their own 
scientists.
  Whatever the reason and however this came to be, it is alarming, and 
now we see India reacting to that new development by testing a nuclear 
weapon that is twice as powerful as the atomic bomb that was used in 
World War II by the United States against Japan.
  The point is, this is a very, very dangerous situation that we see 
developing in that part of the world, but in other countries, too. In 
Iran. We have seen demonstrated in Iraq the capacity to almost put a 
satellite in orbit with a missile launch vehicle 10 years ago. That 
surprised the United States. That surprised our intelligence-gathering 
agencies.
  I am hopeful that the Senate will notice that the time has come for 
us to stop playing politics with missile defense and national security 
and work together in a bipartisan way to develop and deploy, as soon as 
technology permits, a national missile defense system to protect the 
security of the United States.
  We will have that vote on cloture, as the majority leader pointed 
out, on Wednesday--cloture on the motion to proceed to consider the 
bill, not on the bill itself. It will still be open for amendment. It 
will still be open for debate by Senators who want to discuss this 
issue, but I hope the Senate will invoke cloture so that we can proceed 
to consider the bill, to discuss the issue further, particularly in 
view of these developing events that confirm what a dangerous 
proliferation situation we find ourselves in in the world today, and we 
are defenseless against long-range or intercontinental ballistic 
missiles.

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