J. Exon: “Why would a terrorist group or rogue nation spend 15 or 20 years and billions of dollars to manufacture a rudimentary…”

“Why would a terrorist group or rogue nation spend 15 or 20 years and billions of dollars to manufacture a rudimentary nuclear warhead and long-range ballistic missile delivery system which would lead a noticeable trail from where it was launched, when a weapon concealed in a suitcase or on the back of a rented truck can do the same job right now at a small fraction of the cost and with much greater anonymity? Not only is the Dole star wars system useless in defending America against such a threat, it would divert scarce resources from the immediate and pressing concerns of combating terrorism and protecting our troops in the field against theater ballistic missile attacks. Aside from the cost of the Dole Star Wars Program, Mr. President, the question of the need to pursue a crash program of a decision to deploy a system that is not in compliance with the ABM Treaty carries with it immense consequences, not only as to the reliability of the United States to uphold its treaty obligations, but also the future of ongoing arms control programs and policies. It would be sadly ironic from the standpoint of whether other nations would believe us if passage of the Dole star wars bill jeopardizes implementation of the START I and ratification of START II by the Russian Duma. That would be a tragedy, and we cannot accept that risk. These accords, if fully realized, would eliminate over 5,000 nuclear warheads designed to strike America.”