MISSILE DEFENSE GOAL OF THE UNITED STATES.

SEC. 232. MISSILE DEFENSE GOAL OF THE UNITED STATES. (a) Missile Defense Goal.—It is a goal of the United States to— (1) deploy an anti-ballistic missile system, including one or an adequate additional number of anti-ballistic missile sites and space-based sensors, that is capable of providing a highly effective defense of the United States against limited attacks of ballistic missiles; (2) maintain strategic stability; and (3) provide highly effective theater missile defenses (TMDs) to forward-deployed and expeditionary elements of the Armed Forces of the United States and to friends and allies of the United States. (b) Endorsement of Additional Measures.—As an additional component of the overall goal of protecting the United States against the threat posed by ballistic missiles, Congress endorses such additional measures as— (1) joint discussions between the United States and the Soviet Union on strengthening nuclear command and control, to include discussions concerning the use of permissive action links and post-launch destruct mechanisms on all intercontinental-range ballistic missiles of the two nations; (2) reductions that enhance stability in strategic weapons of the United States and Soviet Union to levels below the limitations of the Strategic Arms Reduction Talks (START) Treaty, to include the downloading of multiple warhead ballistic missiles; and (3) reinvigorated efforts to halt the proliferation of ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction.