(Agencies)
Updated: 2007-10-23 23:25

"The danger of ballistic missile attacks is a threat we share and we ought to respond to this threat together," Bush said.

Bush complained that Congress has cut money for missile defenses by hundreds of millions of dollars.

"Missile defense is a vital tool for our security. It's a vital tool for deterrence and it's a vital tool for proliferation," the president said. "Yet despite all these benefits, the United States Congress is cutting funding for missile defense."

He said money for missile defense in Europe had been reduced by $139 million. He said that "could delay deployment for a year or more and undermine our allies who are working with us to deploy such a system on their soil."

Further, he said Congress had eliminated $51 million from an airborne-laser program intended to intercept missiles in the boost stage of flight. Beyond that, he said that $50 million had been cut from the multiple-kill vehicle program that is supposed to counter decoy missiles as well as actual warheads. Another $50 million had been cut from a space tracking and surveillance system of satellites used to detect and track missiles posing a threat to the United States.

"Each of these programs is vital to the security of America and Congress needs to fully fund them," the president said.

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