Statement on Bipartisan
Congressional Efforts To Improve
I
strongly support bipartisan efforts by the Senate Committees on Intelligence
and Armed Services to work with the administration to modernize and upgrade our
intelligence capabilities.
It
is important as we work toward future arms reduction agreements that our
country have all of the means necessary to assure compliance with these
agreements. With or without future arms control agreements, it is important for
our national security interests that we keep pace with changes in technologies
in other nations.
For
that reason, I welcome bipartisan support to start this year on a multiyear
program to improve these systems. I will also include funding for the second
year of this program in the final budget which I submit to the Congress, and I
will urge the next administration to assure continuity of this vital effort.
After 1989 the funding for the program should be additive to the 2-percent real
growth objective for national security spending.