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AMENDMENT NO. 2089

(Purpose: To express the sense of Congress on missile defense of the United States)

At the appropriate place in the bill insert the following:

(a) Findings: Congress makes the following findings:

(1) The proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges is a global problem that is becoming increasingly threatening to the United States, its troops and citizens abroad, and its allies.

(2) Article XIII of the ABM Treaty envisions `possible changes in the strategic situation which have a bearing on the provisions of this Treaty'.

(3) Articles XIII and XIV of the ABM Treaty establish means for the Parties to amend the Treaty, and the Parties have employed these means to amend the Treaty.

(4) Article XV of the ABM Treaty establishes means for a Party to withdraw from the Treaty, upon 6 months notice, `if it decides that extraordinary events related to the subject matter of this Treaty have jeopardized its supreme interests.'.

(b) Sense of Congress: Given the fundamental responsibility of the Government of the United States to protect the security of the United States, the increasingly serious threat posed to the United States, the increasingly serious threat posed to the United States by the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile technology,and the effect this threat could have in constraining the options of the United States to act in time of crisis, it is the sense of Congress that--

(1) it is in the supreme interest of the United States to defend itself from the threat of limited ballistic missile attack, whatever its source;

(2) the deployment of a multiple site ground-based national missile defense system to protect against limited ballistic missile attack can strengthen strategic stability and deterrence;

(3) the policies, programs, and requirements of subtitle C of title II of this Act can be accomplished through processes specified within, or consistent with, the ABM Treaty, which anticipates the need and provides the means for amendment to the Treaty;

(4) the President is urged to initiate negotiations with the Russian Federation to amend the ABM Treaty as necessary to provide for the national missile defense systems specified in section 335 to protect the United States from limited ballistic missile attack; and

(5) if these negotiations fail, the President is urged to consult with the Senate about the option of withdrawing the United States from the ABM Treaty in accordance with the provisions of Article XV of the Treaty.