Visit our website: HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK --------------------------------------------- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Nicholas Camerota) Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2001 01:22:44 -0700 (PDT)----------------------------------------------- >This Excite News Article >(http://news.excite.com:80/news/ap/010731/18/missile-defense) has been sent >to you from [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----------------------------------------------- >Message from sender: >Keep an eye on SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D-Fla), a supporter of Star Wars who wants >to explore ”better options” than a “defense” shield - ie, “effective >pre-emptive srikes” from space. - N.C. — ----------------------------------------- >News Article: Pentagon: Work May Violate Treaty > >By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer >WASHINGTON (AP) - Pentagon lawyers have determined that the >administration's work on missile defense may conflict with an arms >control treaty as early as this winter. > >The finding was revealed Tuesday by Navy Rear Adm. Craig >Quigley, a Pentagon spokesman, who declined to be more specific >about the timing or type of missile defense work that could violate >the Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty. > >The administration hopes to avoid violating the treaty by >persuading Russia to jointly withdraw from it this year, but if >Russia refuses the administration will face tough choices in >proceeding with missile defense work. > >The legal finding is important because some congressional >Democrats, including Sen. Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed >Services Committee, have raised doubts about approving the >administration's spending request for missile defense activities >that might violate the ABM treaty. > >The administration faces less of a challenge in the >Republican-controlled House. On Tuesday the House Armed Services >research and development subcommittee approved $8.16 billion for >missile defense work in the 2002 budget. That is about $135 million >less than President Bush had requested. > >"What we did today was the first step, the first passage of the >president's missile defense program," said Rep. Duncan Hunter, >R-Calif., chairman of the subcommittee. "We embarked on a new era >of rigorous testing, and I think took a giant step forward in >advancing the security interests of this country." > >House Democrats hope to cut at least $1 billion from missile >defense when the full committee meets Wednesday to complete its >version of the budget, said the committee's top Democrat, Rep. Ike >Skelton of Missouri. > >In congressional testimony earlier this month, top Pentagon >officials did not say whether planned missile defense testing and >construction work in 2002 would violate the ABM treaty. On Monday, >however, Paul Wolfowitz, the deputy secretary of defense, received >the findings of an internal Pentagon group charged with determining >whether planned activities for the 2002 budget year comply with the >treaty. > >"They found some instances where there is at least a question >in the review group's mind as to whether or not the proposed >activity would remain in compliance with the treaty," Quigley >said. "The next step on that is to take a hard look, discuss >within government, discuss with other treaty experts as to whether >or not we can arrive at a consensus on the interpretation and go >from there." > >At some point soon the administration will have to decide >whether to delay or scale back those activities which the lawyers >say go beyond the legal limits of the ABM treaty. The other option >facing the administration would be to withdraw from the treaty and >go ahead with the planned activities. > >President Bush has said he expects to avoid these choices by >persuading Russia to scrap the ABM treaty so that both the United >States and Russia can proceed unfettered with missile defense work. > >Bush wants to make unilateral cuts in the U.S. offensive nuclear >force as a means of reassuring the Russians and others that his >proposed missile defense system would not threaten their security. >He and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on July 21 to link >talks on missile defense to those on reducing nuclear weapons. > >Bush and Putin are meeting at the president's ranch in Crawford, >Texas, in late October or early November. Bush plans to visit >Russia, perhaps as soon at late November, U.S. officials say. > >On Wednesday, Bush was to visit the Pentagon for a closed-door >briefing on U.S. nuclear forces and other issues, officials said. > >Quigley said the treaty compliance review group found that no >missile defense activities planned in the current fiscal year, >which ends Sept. 30, would conflict with the treaty. He would not >say at what point during the 2002 fiscal year the administration >would come into conflict with the treaty. > >Quigley said he could not discuss the compliance review group's >findings because they are subject to change. > >"It is a tentative finding, it is very much a work in >progress," he said. "When and if the government, writ large, >finds that it will be in violation of the ABM treaty, then and only >then is that the time to discuss that publicly." > >In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on July >17, Wolfowitz cited three missile defense activities that raised >potential problems with ABM treaty compliance. One is a test >scheduled for February 2002 in which the data from several tracking >radars will be combined, including data from a long-range radar >located at the Kwajalein Missile Range in the Marshall Islands. > >The other two are: >- Expanding a missile defense test range in the Pacific, >including construction of five silos to house missile interceptors >at Fort Greely, Alaska, starting next spring or summer. Under the >ABM treaty, the only permissible site for missile interceptors is >Grand Forks, N.D., and the interceptors could not be designed to >protect all 50 states, as the Bush administration intends. > >- Using a shipborne Aegis Spy-1 radar to track long-range >ballistic missiles fired as interceptor targets from Vandenberg Air >Force Base, Calif. > >On the Net: >Department of Defense: <A HREF=http://www.defenselink.mil>http://<A >HREF=http://www.defenselink.mil>www.defenselink.mil</A></A> [END] _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp ------------------------------------------------- This Discussion List is the follow-up for the old stopnato @listbot.com that has been shut down ==^================================================================ EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://Topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9spWA Or send an email To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] This email was sent to: archive@jab.org T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
