Tony Thurmond: “I consider this a matter of national security and, therefore, I support the efforts of the Senator from Mississippi to…”

“I consider this a matter of national security and, therefore, I support the efforts of the Senator from Mississippi to require export licenses for computers --in short, supercomputers to tier 3 countries, such as Russia, China, India, and Pakistan. For several years, both the Strategic Subcommittee and the Acquisition and Technology Subcommittee, chaired by the Senator from New Hampshire, Senator Smith, have conducted hearings on the administration's export policies on dual-use technologies with military applications. The export of the high-performance computers to countries of concern could have a significant and potentially detrimental impact on United States and allied security interests. The alleged export of the high-performance computers to Russia and China recently causes me great concern. The computers are more capable than any computer known to have been in use in those countries. The export of these computers was accomplished without export licenses.”