Page 66 - January Febuary 2016 Issue
P. 66
Arms Race, Arms Control and the Future of Missle Defense
want nuclear weapons regardless of whether we have them. To build a credible deterrent, we
need to modernize our strategic forces and ield a mix of offensive and defensive capabilities to
protect our interests around the world.
We do not need to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; we can voluntarily
continue a moratorium on testing until we determine that it is compromising our nuclear
deterrent. We also do not need Congress to micromanage the ielding of missile defenses as it
is trying to do with European defenses. Every requirement that Congress wants to impose on
the Pentagon in this case would force needless and irresponsible delays in deploying missile
defenses. Americans are still committed to defending our NATO allies from attack, and
Congress should demonstrate its commitment as well. The eminent members of the Independent
Working Group on Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the 21st Century put it well
in their recent report to Congress: Time is not on America’s side. The American people deserve
an effective layered missile defense system, and soon. The duty of the federal government-to
provide for the common defense-demands no less.
Find out more about the growing nuclear proliferation threat facing the world today. Visit the
33 Minutes Documentary Film site about Missile Defense in America. The site includes video
commentary, animations of missile defense strategies, and extended missile defense resources
and articles.
Dr. Kim Holmes is the Vice President of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation, and
is the Director of its Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies. He interrupted his
tenure with Heritage, which began in 1985, to accept President Bush's nomination to be Assistant Secretary of
State for International Organization Affairs. He served in this role from 2002-2005, and was responsible for
U.S. negotiations at the United Nations and 46 international organizations. Holmes has published numerous
foreign policy products, including the 1995 Defending America: A Near- and Long-Term Plan to Deploy
Missile Defenses, which laid the groundwork for U.S. investment in missile defense and U.S. withdrawal from
the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Holmes's most recent book, Liberty's Best Hope: American Leadership for the
21st Century lays out a plan to ensure America continues its global leadership. http://EzineArticles.com/expert/
Kim_Holmes,_Ph.D./75695
66
want nuclear weapons regardless of whether we have them. To build a credible deterrent, we
need to modernize our strategic forces and ield a mix of offensive and defensive capabilities to
protect our interests around the world.
We do not need to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty; we can voluntarily
continue a moratorium on testing until we determine that it is compromising our nuclear
deterrent. We also do not need Congress to micromanage the ielding of missile defenses as it
is trying to do with European defenses. Every requirement that Congress wants to impose on
the Pentagon in this case would force needless and irresponsible delays in deploying missile
defenses. Americans are still committed to defending our NATO allies from attack, and
Congress should demonstrate its commitment as well. The eminent members of the Independent
Working Group on Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the 21st Century put it well
in their recent report to Congress: Time is not on America’s side. The American people deserve
an effective layered missile defense system, and soon. The duty of the federal government-to
provide for the common defense-demands no less.
Find out more about the growing nuclear proliferation threat facing the world today. Visit the
33 Minutes Documentary Film site about Missile Defense in America. The site includes video
commentary, animations of missile defense strategies, and extended missile defense resources
and articles.
Dr. Kim Holmes is the Vice President of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation, and
is the Director of its Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies. He interrupted his
tenure with Heritage, which began in 1985, to accept President Bush's nomination to be Assistant Secretary of
State for International Organization Affairs. He served in this role from 2002-2005, and was responsible for
U.S. negotiations at the United Nations and 46 international organizations. Holmes has published numerous
foreign policy products, including the 1995 Defending America: A Near- and Long-Term Plan to Deploy
Missile Defenses, which laid the groundwork for U.S. investment in missile defense and U.S. withdrawal from
the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. Holmes's most recent book, Liberty's Best Hope: American Leadership for the
21st Century lays out a plan to ensure America continues its global leadership. http://EzineArticles.com/expert/
Kim_Holmes,_Ph.D./75695
66
