IMPACT: DANGERS OF WMD MISSILE ATTACK ARE GROWING

WE NEED NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE ACTIVE DEFENSE BEFORE WE HAVE A NUCLEAR PEARL HARBOR

John Ashcroft St. Louis Post-Dispatch March 23, 1999, SECTION: EDITORIAL, Pg. B7, HEADLINE: MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM IS URGENTLY NEEDED // lnu-acs

The defeatist policies that would leave America vulnerable to nuclear, chemical or biological warheads have been followed for too long, to the great detriment of our country. We must return to the sound policies of an active defense system before a missile strike on U.S. soil eclipses the catastrophe of Pearl Harbor.

BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT IS HIGHER TODAY THAN DURING THE COLD WAR

BOB DROGIN, TIMES STAFF WRITER, Los Angeles Times September 10, 1999, SECTION: Part A; Page 1; HEADLINE: MISSILE THREAT TO U.S. 'SERIOUS,' REPORT WARNS // lnu-acs

"It feels more dangerous because there are so many more factors," a senior intelligence official said during a briefing at CIA headquarters, where a 16-page unclassified version of the report was released Thursday. He said the probability that a missile armed with a nuclear, chemical or biological weapon will be used against U.S. forces or interests is "higher today than during most of the Cold War."

BALLISTIC MISSILE THREAT IS IMMEDIATE AND SERIOUS

BOB DROGIN, TIMES STAFF WRITER, Los Angeles Times September 10, 1999, SECTION: Part A; Page 1; HEADLINE: MISSILE THREAT TO U.S. 'SERIOUS,' REPORT WARNS // lnu-acs

      The U.S. intelligence community warned Thursday that proliferation of medium-range ballistic missiles, driven primarily by sales from North Korea, presents an "immediate, serious and growing threat" to U.S. forces and allies in the Middle East and Asia and has "significantly altered" the strategic balances there.

ARGUMENTS AGAINST NMD WHICH CLAIM THAT THE WORLD IS SAFER NOW AND THERE IS NO NEED FOR MISSILE DEFENSE ARE INCORRECT

Omaha World-Herald January 11, 2001, SECTION: EDITORIAL; Pg. 22; HEADLINE: A Grim Notion: Loose Nukes //VT2002acsln

An accompanying argument says no shield is needed because the world is safer than it once was. It postulates that Russia will be decades solving its economic problems, that China has no logical reason to look for trouble in the Western Hemisphere and that few other potential enemies exist who would have the will and the wherewithal to pose a missile threat to the North American continent.

Evidence against this argument is abundant. Just yesterday, a bipartisan commission identified as America's "most dangerous unmet security threat" the potential theft of vast amounts of Russia's nuclear materials. The commission, headed by former Sen. Howard Baker and former White House lawyer Lloyd Cutler, recommended the appointment of a U.S. "loose nukes czar."

THE CHANCES OF A NUCLEAR ATTACK ON THE USA GROW EVERY DAY

The Columbus Dispatch, October 11, 1999, SECTION: EDITORIAL & COMMENT, Pg. 10A, HEADLINE: ON TARGET TESTS PUT ANTI-MISSILE SHIELD A STEP CLOSER // ln-10-29-99-acs

As missile technology spreads around the globe, the chances of an accidental or deliberate attack on the United States grow every day.

BALLISTIC MISSILE THREATS EMERGE DURING THE NEXT 10-15 YEARS

BOB DROGIN, TIMES STAFF WRITER, Los Angeles Times September 10, 1999, SECTION: Part A; Page 1; HEADLINE: MISSILE THREAT TO U.S. 'SERIOUS,' REPORT WARNS // lnu-acs

The report concludes that the United States will "most likely" face ballistic missile threats over the next 15 years from Russia, China and North Korea, "probably" from Iran and "possibly" from Iraq.