Sen. Kerry (D–MA), Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, took to the pages of U.S. News and World Report again trying to make the case for ratification of the New START treaty. He continues to tow the Administration line in attempts to demonstrate how the treaty is in the national security interest of the U.S. After posing a series of questions, he concludes, saying, “The opponents of New START cannot provide good answers to these questions. All they can do is stand in the way of common sense—and of our …
In an interview with National Journal (subscription necessary) Senator Richard Lugar (R–IN), responds to a series of objections to the new START Treaty and outlines why he believes ratification is necessary. Sen. Lugar addresses the question of tactical nuclear weapons, yet gives a less than satisfactory response. He states, “A large percentage of Russia’s short-range tactical weapons are actually deployed along its border with China.” While he states a problem, he ultimately fails to connect the dots. By not addressing Russia’s tactical arsenal, the START treaty allows Russia to continue …
James Woolsey, former director of Central Intelligence, and Rebaccah Heinrichs, a former manager of the House Bipartisan Missile Defense Caucus published an op-ed in The Wall Street Journal vividly illustrating the threat posed by Iran’s weapons program and the need for a robust U.S. missile defense system. The authors note that Iran is capable of deploying an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) by 2015, which is a scary fact for a country whose leader likes to proclaim “death to Israel.” What is so discouraging about this news is that it really …
Peter Brookes presents an op-ed in the Boston Herald demonstrating this administration’s repeated failure to live up to its promise of transparency and open government. The administration’s reticence to give Senators the negotiating record for the new START treaty is yet another flagrant example. The reasons provided in the START hearings not to release the negotiating record are either false, or simply fly in the face of reason. The first, that negotiating records have not been released to the Senate in the past, is patently false given that they have …
Eleven members of the Senate Armed Services Committee released a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the Committee, Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) and Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) in anticipation of the hearings on the New START Treaty. The senators are calling for a broader spectrum of witnesses, beyond the administration officials that the Obama Administration has put forward so far, in order to fully address the wide array of questions that arise from the treaty. The potential witnesses requested in the letter include: Admiral Richard Mies (retired) – …
On Tuesday, Lockheed Martin and the Missile Defense Agency successfully tested their Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) Weapon System in Hawaii. Since 2005 there have been 11 THAAD flight tests with a 100% success rate in intercepting a missile. Not only did this test continue the perfect record of missile intercepts, but it demonstrated the ability to target a missile in the lower “endo-atmosphere.” While previous tests only have been attempted in the outer “exo-atmosphere,” this most recent test demonstrates the greatest level of operational flexibility yet achieved by …
Canada is one of America’s greatest allies and its largest trading partner. Yet within a split second, it could freeze US financial systems, disable key military technologies, or halt any number of government agencies. How? A few rogue actors launching a cyber attack from Canada. Such is the nature of asymmetric threats where the words “border” and “allies” are no longer relevant. This possibility was outlined by the Deputy Defense Secretary, William J. Lynn, while in Canada following his speech to the Conference on Defense Associations.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held its second hearing this week on the New START Treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation. Led by the chair of the committee, Sen. John Kerry (D-MA), and ranking minority member, Sen. Dick Lugar (R-IN), a number of senators addressed several areas of concern with the witnesses, the Honorable James N. Miller, Jr., Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; General Kevin P. Chilton, Commander US Strategic Command; and Lieutenant General Patrick J. O’Reilly, Director of the Missile Defense Agency. Gen. O’Reilly …
The administration is launching a full-scale defense of the new START Treaty, as evidenced by two days of testimony in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and an op-ed out this morning in The Wall Street Journal by Michele Flournoy and Ashton Carter. Ms. Flournoy and Mr. Carter rightly point out the successes of the missile defense program over the past few years. Over 10 tests conducted since 2006, the Standard Missile (SM)-3 interceptor has had a 90% success rate. Missile defense is effective and a key component in our national …
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee held the first of two committee hearings this Tuesday on the New START Treaty between the United States and the Russian Federation. Attended by Acting Chair Ted Kauffman (D-DE), Ranking Member Dick Lugar (R-IN), and briefly by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) the three senators pressed the Honorable Rose Gottemoeller and the Honorable Edward L Warner, III, two key negotiators for the START Treaty, on a number of key issues. In a blog post earlier this week, Steven Groves listed four questions that should be addressed …
