Chairman of the Joint<p>
Chiefs of Staff,<p>
Washington, DC, July 12, 1995.<p>
Hon. Sam Nunn,<p>
U.S. Senate, Committee of the Armed Forces, Washington, DC.<p>
<b>Dear Senator Nunn: </b>Thank you for your letter of 11 July regarding your concerns about
theater missile defense (TMD) priorities.<p>
The President's Budget submit represents a balanced approach to satisfying our theater missile
defense requirements. In that document, CORPS SAM/MEADS research and development was
supported as a part of the integrated TMD architecture. It will fill a critical need for mobile,
self-defensive capability for maneuver forces, both Army and Marine Corps. We support funding
of this program at $30.4 million for FY 1996. In response to your questions, I support funding
Corps SAM/MEADS at this level since none of the programs in the letter offer an alternative
better than the President's Budget.<p>
Current development efforts, new efforts in sophisticated strike operations against mobile
launchers, and the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization-led TMD Cost and Operational
Effectiveness Analysis will enable the Department to make critical TMD acquisition decisions in
the FY 1998 budget process consistent with funding constraints and the CINCs' warfighting
requirements. For now, I believe the DoD Budget submit appropriately represents our TBMD
warfighting priorities.<p>
I discussed the above position with the Joint Chiefs and our CINCs, and all are in agreement.<p>
Sincerely,<p>
John M. Shalikashvili,<p>
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.<p>
-<p>