On the recordDecember 20, 2010
I wish to commend the work by this administration for the letter that was sent recently that reiterated once again the commitment of the United States. I would argue that is an unwavering commitment to missile defense, consistent with the goal of having a nuclear arsenal and having defense for this country--but especially as it relates to the nuclear arsenal--that is safe, secure, effective, and reliable. This New START treaty does not place any constraints on our ability to defend ourselves. Over the past few days, this has been made clear by Chairman Kerry on the floor, making these strong arguments, as well as those made repeatedly by our uniformed military leadership. Let me give some flavor of that by reading the following. This is a quotation from LTG Patrick O'Reilly who thinks the New START treaty could actually provide more flexibility in implementing our missile defense plans. He said: The New START treaty reduces constraints on the development of the missile defense program in several areas.
