[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 87 (Tuesday, June 22, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H4731]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 DEFENDING AMERICA WITH SMART SECURITY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from California (Ms. Woolsey) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, when the Soviet Union collapsed in the fall 
of 1991, the chief threat to the United States, the possibility of a 
massive nuclear exchange, ceased to be. Now the biggest threat posed by 
the Soviet Union is the massive quantity of nuclear materials that 
still exists within its former borders.
  In 1991, an estimated 30,000 nuclear weapons existed throughout the 
former Soviet Union. These conditions raised a serious concern that 
nuclear materials could be smuggled beyond the boarders of the former 
Soviet Union or the Soviet nuclear scientists might be able to export 
their expertise or actual nuclear materials to rogue nations or 
terrorist groups.
  Congress responded in November of 1991 by initiating the Nunn-Lugar 
program, which is commonly referred to as the Cooperative Threat 
Reduction Program, CTR. CTR enlists the Department of Defense with the 
task of dismantling nuclear warheads, reducing nuclear stockpiles, and 
securing nuclear weapons and materials in the former Soviet Union.
  Under CTR, more than 20,000 Russian scientists, formerly tasked to 
create nuclear weapons, are now working to dismantle them. Since 1991, 
CTR has dismantled nearly 6,000 nuclear warheads, 479 ballistic 
missiles, 435 ballistic missile silos, 97 bombers, 336 submarine 
launched missiles, 396 submarine missile launchers, and 24 strategic 
missile submarines.
  This program clearly works. That is why I have introduced the SMART 
Security Platform for the 21st Century. SMART stands for Sensible 
Multilateral American Response to Terrorism. Instead of aggressive 
posturing, SMART security calls for aggressive diplomacy, a commitment 
to nuclear nonproliferation, strong regional security arrangements, and 
vigorous inspection regimes.
  The Defense Authorization Act for the year 2004 specifically 
authorized $50 million for proliferation threat reduction projects 
outside of the former Soviet Union. Along the same lines, SMART 
security would replicate CTR in possible future nuclear states like 
Iran and North Korea. SMART security would respond to the threat of a 
nuclear Iran and North Korea, not with threats of warfare, but rather 
through a peaceful negotiated program, similar to the one that has been 
successful in the states of the former Soviet Union, in which the U.S. 
works with these countries toward the common goal of reducing the 
world's supply of nuclear weapons.
  We need to engage burgeoning nuclear powers on a nation-to-nation 
level for the purposes of nonproliferation, and we need to take the 
initial steps towards demolishing their nuclear weapons and 
infrastructure. In the long run, negotiating with other countries will 
keep us much safer than scaring them into submission.
  If we are going to throw our weight around the world demanding that 
other nations cease their weapons programs, we must make sure that we 
are setting an example for the rest of the world by renouncing the 
first use of nuclear weapons and the development of new nuclear 
weapons. We must maintain our commitment to existing international 
treaties, like the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, the Comprehensive 
Test Ban Treaty, the Biological Weapons Convention, and the Chemical 
Weapons Convention.
  The Bush doctrine of arrogant nuclear proliferation has been tried, 
and it has failed. It is time for a new national security strategy. 
SMART security defends America by relying on the very best of America, 
not our nuclear capabilities, but our commitment to peace and freedom 
and our capacity for multilateral leadership.
  SMART security is tough, SMART security is pragmatic and patriotic; 
SMART security is smart and will keep America safe.

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