Yes. I would support continued
research and the immediate deployment of the Strategic Defense Initiative.We watched
the Argentineans easily sink British ships in the Falklands War with French Exocet
Missiles. Could the same happen to our fleets? It is not likely. Our navel fleet is
protected with a variety of defensive missiles.
Our military personnel that we sent to the Persian Gulf were protected from incoming
SCUD Missiles by our Patriot Missiles. The Patriots saved many lives by destroying the
SCUD Missiles. The Patriots have had two generations of improvements since the Gulf War
and will prove even more effective in future conflicts. We are now implementing the
Theater High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to augment the defense of our forces.
We rightfully protect our military personnel on the front lines as they protect our
nation. However, our homes and our families are as unprotected as the British Navy in the
Falklands War. This is a violation of the Constitutional mandate "to provide for the
common defense." Let us not forget the lessons of history when the British let down
their defenses and trusted in written agreements with Hitler. Today we have witnessed the
effects of small arms and munitions in the hands of Osama bin Ladin, or some other
terrorist, in Kenya. What form of weaponry, nuclear perhaps, will we face tomorrow? It is
the duty of Congress to be prepared!
A Patriot Missile
being fired during Exercise Roving Sands on April 30, 1997