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Letter to Senator Carl Levin on the Future Ballistic Missile Threat
1 December 1995
The Honorable Carl Levin
United States Senate
Washington, D.C. 20510
Dear Senator Levin:
The DCI has asked me to respond on his behalf to your letter of November 1, 1995, asking for the Intelligence Community's comments on the Defense Authorization Bill language that discusses the future ballistic missile threat to the United States. In the past, representatives of the Intelligence Community openly portrayed the future ballistic missile threat to the US as reflected in the statement from Sec 232, paragraph (3) of the Defense Authorization Bill. We wish to point out, however, that the Intelligence Community continuously evaluates this issue and the Bill language overstates what we currently believe to be the future threat.
Several countries are seeking longer range missiles to meet regional security goals; however, most of these missiles cannot reach as far as 1,000 kilometers. A North Korean missile potentially capable of reaching portions of Alaska--but not beyond--may be in development, but the likelihood of it being operational within five years is very low.
The Intelligence Community believes it extremely unlikely any nation with ICBMs will be willing to sell them, and we are confident that our warning capability is sufficient to provide notice many years in advance of indigenous development.
An original of this letter is also being provided to Senator Dale Bumpers. Similar letters are being provided to Senator Strom Thurmond and Senator Sam Nunn.
Enclosed herewith is an unclassified publication on The Weapons Proliferation Threat. We hope this information is useful. Please call if I can be of further assistance.
Sincerely,
/s/ Joanne O. Isham
Joanne 0. Isham
Director of Congressional Affairs
This
material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin
Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of
International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the
opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or
its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2007 by
MIIS.
