United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

December 6, 1999

The Honorable William S. Cohen
Secretary of Defense
1000 Defense Pentagon
Washington D.C. 20301-1000

Dear Secretary Cohen:

We are writing to express our strong opposition to any further delay in deployment of the
Navy
Theater Wide and THAAD systems. According to Defense News, Defense
Department officials
are reviewing several options including cutting funding for the Navy Theater Wide program by
$2.5 billion over several years in order to fully fund the THAAD program, or trimming funding
for both programs, which would delay the deployment of both systems until 2010. In any case,
neither of these programs should be delayed by funding limitations.

In testimony to the Senate, Army, Navy, and Defense Department officials have repeatedly
made
it clear that valid requirements exist for both systems, which perform different missions.
Congress has also been strongly supportive of the Navy Theater Wide and THAAD programs,
and opposed a recent Administration proposal to adopt a strategy that would advance one
program at the expense of the other. In fact, section 232 of the FY 2000 Defense Authorization
Act states:

“The Secretary of Defense shall establish an acquisition strategy for the two upper tier
missile
defense systems [THAAD and Navy Theater Wide] that–

(1) retains funding for both of the upper tier systems in separate, independently managed
program elements throughout the future-years defense program;

(2) bases funding decisions and program schedules for each upper tier system on the
performance
of each system independent of the performance of the other system; and

(3) provides for accelerating the deployment of both of the upper tier systems to the
maximum
extent practicable.”

As the unclassified summary of the 1999 National Intelligence Estimate on the ballistic
missile
threat states, “the proliferation of medium-range ballistic missiles–driven primarily by North
Korean No Dong sales–has created an immediate, serious, and growing threat to U.S. forces,
interests, and allies in the Middle East and Asia, and has significantly altered the strategic
balances in the regions.” We agree, which is why both of our upper tier systems–THAAD and
Navy Theater Wide–must be deployed soon.

We strongly urge you to ensure adequate funding for both the Navy Theater Wide and
THAAD
programs, such that their deployment is constrained only by the pace of their technological
developments.

Sincerely,

Jon Kyl

Thad Cochran

Trent Lott

Larry Craig

Paul Coverdell

Wayne Allard

Mitch McConnell

Frank Murkowski

James Inhofe

Jim Bunning

John McCain

Spencer Abraham

Bob Smith

Phil Gramm

Don Nickles

Tim Hutchinson