From time to time my office distributes press releases and written statements on state and national issues, debate in the Senate, and legislation that I am working on. For your convenience, I post these documents on my site for your review.
 print |  email |
|
National Security Advocates Must Remain Vigilant
WASHINGTON – Speaking to industry experts, military personnel, and members of the national press corps this morning, U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) urged national security advocates to remain vigilant during upcoming debates about the future of U.S. strategic forces.
“We are coming to a critical point in our national debate about the future of U.S. strategic forces,” Sessions said. “We are at a crossroads between upcoming presidential elections, key funding decisions in Congress, and a report by the Strategic Posture Commission that could have profound effects on our nuclear arsenal.”
Strategic forces include the nation’s nuclear arsenal, long-range bomber fleet, nuclear submarines, and missile defense systems. As the senior Republican on the Senate subcommittee with oversight over these forces, Sessions stressed that the right kind of leadership was paramount during the debate.
“There seems to be a clear dividing line between those who believe the best way to show leadership is by willfully making ourselves weak and those who want to demonstrate strength,” said Sessions.
Calls for nuclear disarmament, continued funding for research and evaluation of missile defense technology, and the upkeep of our nuclear arsenal are central points in the debate about the strength of U.S. forces.
“A growing chorus calls for us to lead the way to total nuclear disarmament, an unwise goal that would have negative consequences,” Sessions said. “Doing so would encourage smaller nuclear powers like China, North Korea, and, eventually, Iran – who could never dream of matching our current arsenal – to attempt to compete.”
Sessions noted that critics often work to cut the Missile Defense Agency’s research and development budget while simultaneously criticizing the agency for failing to properly test its systems.
“We have made dramatic improvements in the performance of our missile defense systems. Since 2001, 35 of 41 hit-to-kill attempts have been successful,” Sessions said. “It makes no sense to cut the funding for an important program that is performing so well. We must make sure that the missile Defense Agency receives the funding it needs to continue testing and evaluation.”
Sessions also argued that maintaining the current nuclear stockpile should be a funding priority.
“Our national lab directors continue to be increasingly concerned about the reliability of our arsenal,” Sessions said. “There may be a rational argument for some further reduction of our stockpile, executed with care, but simply letting our weapons degrade, as some are willing to do, is indefensible.”
Sessions said the current presidential election is an opportunity for a national discussion on the future of U.S. strategic forces.
“We need to inform the American people about the continued importance of these programs,” Sessions said. “I have faith that they will see the wisdom of a strategy based on American strength rather than unilateral disarmament.”
A transcript of Sessions’ remarks, delivered at a breakfast meeting sponsored by the National Defense University Foundation in Washington, will be posted at www.sessions.senate.gov.
|
|
||||||
 |
You will need to have Real One Player installed on your computer to be able to listen or watch the clips above. Real One Player is free software that lets you play audio and video files. Download Real One Player |