Andrew P. Hunter said "I usually ask as a first question, this question of our Secretary of Defense. I ask, ``Could you stop, could the United States of America stop a single incoming ballistic missile today should it be coming in at an American city?'' The answer is always ``no.'' And yet most Americans think that we do have some kind of a defense. Interestingly, if the Russian defense minister was sitting there at the witness table, he would be able to say ``yes,'' because the Russians do have missile defenses. They have the defenses that are allowed by the ABM treaty. They have interceptors which are tipped with nuclear devices that can go off when incoming missiles come in proximity of their cities that they have decided to protect under the ABM system. They also have what are known as SA-10 and SA-12 missile defense systems which they advertise in open literature as having capability against not only airplanes but ballistic missiles." @ PoliticalQuotes.com

On the recordMarch 18, 1999

I usually ask as a first question, this question of our Secretary of Defense. I ask, ``Could you stop, could the United States of America stop a single incoming ballistic missile today should it be coming in at an American city?'' The answer is always ``no.'' And yet most Americans think that we do have some kind of a defense. Interestingly, if the Russian defense minister was sitting there at the witness table, he would be able to say ``yes,'' because the Russians do have missile defenses. They have the defenses that are allowed by the ABM treaty. They have interceptors which are tipped with nuclear devices that can go off when incoming missiles come in proximity of their cities that they have decided to protect under the ABM system. They also have what are known as SA-10 and SA-12 missile defense systems which they advertise in open literature as having capability against not only airplanes but ballistic missiles.

Said by

Andrew P. Hunter

Illinois

Source

govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Discussing U.S. missile defense capabilities during a House Armed Services Committee meeting.

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