ACCESSION 
NUMBER:346693

FILE ID:POL206

DATE:05/31/94

TITLE:DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REPORT, TUESDAY, MAY 31 (05/31/94)

TEXT:*94053106.POL

DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REPORT, TUESDAY, MAY 31

(Missile detargeting, U.S.-Russian exercise, Columbia/drug intelligence)

(470)



NEWS BRIEFING -- Spokesman Kathleen DeLaski discussed the following topics:

U.S. DETARGETS ALL STRATEGIC NUCLEAR MISSILES

The United States has detargeted all of its strategic nuclear missiles which

were pointed at locations in the former Soviet Union for the first time in

15 years, deLaski said, adding that the joint U.S.-Russian decision was

announced in January and implementation was completed by May 30.



"Detargeting is an important symbolic point," she said, because it

emphasizes "the strengthening partnership between the United States and

Russia."  Implementation of the detargeting agreement is "a significant

milestone," deLaski said, because it indicates that the two nations "are no

longer nuclear adversaries."



She said the 500 older U.S. Minuteman III missiles are now aimed at oceans,

while the new Trident and Peacekeeper missiles contain no targeting

information at all.



While detargeting cannot be "actively verified," deLaski noted, strategic

missiles can be retargeted "fairly quickly" if there is a need to do so.



The spokesman also said the British made "a unilateral decision" to detarget

their strategic missiles and have done so.



RUSSIA POSTPONES PEACEKEEPING EXERCISE WITH U.S.

DeLaski said the United States has learned that the U.S.-Russian

peacekeeping exercise scheduled for July in the Volga District has been

postponed.



Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn has proposed holding the

exercise in the United States rather than in Russia.  The spokesman said

Nunn's idea "sounds like a good suggestion" and is being considered.



She noted, however, that if the exercise occurs in the United States as Nunn

is proposing, it would have to take place later in the year than everyone

would like.  She said the U.S. would prefer that the exercise "just be

rescheduled a bit later this year in the same place (the Volga District)"

where it was originally scheduled.



U.S. GOVERNMENT REVIEWING DRUG INTELLIGENCE SHARING

An interagency task force is reviewing U.S. government policy for sharing

drug intelligence with other countries, deLaski said, pointing out that the

government "implements a wide-ranging program of support to counter-drug

efforts by host nations in areas where illegal drugs are produced or

transported, and across the government we're all very supportive of, and

strongly committed to, supporting those efforts."



Questions on this subject were prompted by a recent press report indicating

the United States had stopped sharing drug intelligence with Colombia and

Peru following reports that those two countries were using the information

to shoot down suspected drug smuggling aircraft without first determining

guilt or innocence.  (At the State Department, spokesman Michael McCurry

said May 31 that using American intelligence information to shoot first and

ask questions later violates U.S. law.)



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