Bob Kerrey: “First, I appreciate very much the statement of the Senator from Arizona. We have been together on a number of occasions…”

“First, I appreciate very much the statement of the Senator from Arizona. We have been together on a number of occasions before the intelligence committee and in the public environment talking about the threat of the missiles, especially from rogue states. I have enjoyed those associations very much. He is quite right; the systems are extremely complicated. We do talk about warheads and we ought to focus on the platforms. One of the problems is that it is very rare we have a chance to focus on any of these. It is debated too little, in my view. These are not bullets; these are very complicated systems. If you are the STRATCOM, you have a Presidential directive that tells you what you are supposed to do. Again, that is where it all begins, with a Presidential directive and a PPD 60 that was updated during the Clinton administration. You set forth talents. You are the CINC in charge of this. You have ICBMs, submarine launch ballistic missiles; you have your bombers at your disposal; and you are calculating whether they will be reliable, whether they are available, whether they will be able to do what that Presidential directive says you have to do. I am challenging the Presidential directive, the policy itself. As I understand it, I thought earlier we could have some flexibility in this amendment. I am uncomfortable tying this thing to quadrennial review. I don't want to speak for the administration.…”