Page 2 - Baker Spring News Today

The ABM: Outdated and Dangerous

The United States now finds itself in a favorable positionregarding the use of space for military purposes, but its leadshould not be taken for granted. Today's emerging space powers,such as China, Iran, and North Korea, are not likely to be thebenign force that the United States is today and will be in thefuture.

The argument that missile defense for America is not feasiblesuffered a stunning setback on June 10, 1999.

Executive Summary: The ABM Treaty: Outdated and Dangerous

Now is the time for decisive action against Saddam Hussein. If theU.N. balks at taking action to address Saddam's violation of itsresolutions, the President still has full legal authority, bothfrom the U.N. and from Congress, to take whatever actions may benecessary.

The False Choice: START II or National Missile Defense

EM442:  Keeping Faith With the Troops:  Why ClintonShould Sign the DOD Bill

Taken together, actions by President Bush and President Putin atthe Crawford meeting to set aside the ABM Treaty and move towardsignificantly smaller nuclear forces will form the foundation of anew strategic framework. This framework should allow both theUnited States and Russia to better address the new securityrequirements of the post-Cold War world, including the fightagainst terrorism.

In March 9 testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee,Lieutenant General Henry A. Obering, the Director of the MissileDefense Agency, stated that his agency made history in 2004 byestablishing a "limited defensive capability" for protecting theUnited States against ballistic missile attack. Congress, as itundertakes the task of drafting the fiscal year (FY) 2007 DefenseAuthorization bill, must recognize that this defense is very thinand needs to be strengthened. It can do so ...

It's an age-old question in representative democracies: Should leaders vote for what their constituents want or for what they think is right?