Jeff Bingaman: “I rise to offer a few observations regarding the President's speech at the National Defense University regarding missile…”

“I rise to offer a few observations regarding the President's speech at the National Defense University regarding missile defense and the future security of our nation. The President was quite correct in describing today's world as one that is far different from the days of the Cold War some thirty years ago. However, his prescription for how best to ensure our national security and achieve a more peaceful world is seriously flawed. The President has assigned the nation's highest military priority to building a robust missile defense that will cost tens of billions of dollars during the coming decade with no assurance that the system of interceptors will work. The primary objective of such a system, in his view, is to counteract intercontinental missiles carrying weapons of mass destruction from targeting our nation. I would urge the President to take a step back; a more effective and higher priority approach would be to cut off weapons of mass destruction at their source, before they are in the hands of our potential enemies. The greatest potential source of those weapons, materials, and technological expertise resides in Russia, and therein lies the fundamental key to our national and global security. The President's view of Russia misunderstands this important point.”