Cornyn: Missile defense spending needed

WASHINGTON, April 13 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, says a rocket launch by North Korea illustrates the need for "robust and layered missile defense" capabilities.

Saying North Korea's missile development program has the "potential capability to strike Hawaii, Alaska and possibly the West Coast of the United States," Cornyn Monday criticized what he called U.S. President Barack Obama's determination to "scale back our missile defense capabilities and leave us and our allies more vulnerable."

In a release, Cornyn cited a declaration from Obama during a visit to Prague in which he said U.S. support for a planned missile defense system in Eastern Europe would be dependent on their cost-effectiveness and the threat level from Iran.

"These qualifications may seem reasonable, yet they signal unreasonable cutbacks throughout our missile defense program," the senator said, asserting the Pentagon budget released this month by U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates would cut missile defense spending by 15 percent.

"While trillions of dollars in domestic spending are justified as economic stimulus, new defenses against ballistic missiles -- built right here in America -- must overcome much higher hurdles from the budgetary bean counters," he said.