BATTLEFIELD OF THE FUTURE

NEW-ERAWARFARE
have to fight for these programs before our Congress ." When
he went to get on the airplane to leave, he turned and said,
"Good luck with your Congress ."
In both Washington and Moscow there are people who are
still operating in a cold war context . I think the Russians are
terrified that we are going to get ahead of them in ballistic
missile defenses . So, it is very important that we do things,
such as share ballistic-missile warning as an entree, and then
become involved in shared ballistic-missile defenses . At that
point, the ABM Treaty is moot .
How you build trust with the Russians is a matter of a lot of
effort, discussion, and dialogue . But I think to approach it
from the cold war standpoint is the wrong tack . I think we
must approach it looking at things through their eyes as they
look to the south, not over the pole . I have no doubts that the
Russians are quite willing to do that, given time .
The biggest problem we have is our own lack of
understanding of the threat . I'm amazed by that . Many people
come to Cheyenne Mountain where we show them the ballistic
missile warning systems . Then we ask them, "What do you
think of our ballistic missile defenses?" I would estimate that
60 percent of the people say, "They have got to be the finest in
the world, and we can't thank you enough ." But the truth is
we have none .
That is a scary thing-they don't know. The danger here is
that if we are threatened by ballistic missiles someday, the
American people are going to feel betrayed . So, I think that,
while we have no threat for now, we must communicate to the
American people that they do not in fact have ballistic missile
defenses, and that there is a potential for them at some point
in the future to be attacked .
Shared Defense Against Ballistic Missiles
What do we need to do? First, recognize that the world has
changed ; second, recognize that the cold war is over; and,
finally, recognize that we and the Russians have much to gain
from getting rid of our nuclear arsenals . Think about this : the
nation most threatened by the proliferation of missiles and
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