IV
104TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H. CON. RES. 100
Expressing the sense of Congress that the national security policy of the
United States should be based upon a national strategy for peace through
strength.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
SEPTEMBER 6, 1995
Mr. HUNTER (for himself, Mr. BROWDER, Mr. CUNNINGHAM, Mr. EDWARDS,
Mr. GILMAN, Ms. HARMAN, Mr. HYDE, Mr. LAUGHLIN, Mr. MONTGOM-
ERY, Mr. MURTHA, Mr. SPENCE, and Mr. WILSON) submitted the follow-
ing concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Inter-
national Relations
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of Congress that the national security
policy of the United States should be based upon a
national strategy for peace through strength.
Whereas a steadfast and bipartisan Peace Through
Strength Strategy won the Cold War;
Whereas one of the great assurances of peace is being
prepared for war;
Whereas military capability, once lost, is very expensive
to regain, very difficult to regain, and very time-con-
suming to regain;
•HCON 100 IH
Whereas since the end of the Cold War the United States
has been dramatically reducing the strength and
readiness of the Armed Forces;
Whereas in an increasingly interdependent world, the
United States cannot achieve foreign and domestic
policy goals nor maintain credibility abroad if it does
not sustain economic dynamism and competitiveness
both at home and abroad;
Whereas the United States faces security problems
throughout the world due to a variety of causes, in-
cluding nationalism and religious and ethnic dif-
ferences; and
Whereas the House of Representatives, in the One Hun-
dred Second Congress, unanimously passed House
Resolution 284 calling for ‘‘the development of a
comprehensive, coordinated strategy’’ which ‘‘will
help the United States achieve its goal of being the
strongest Nation on Earth economically and mili-
tarily, so that it remain the greatest Nation in sup-
port of human dignity, freedom, and democratic
ideals’’: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that, to guide
the United States toward a new era of peace, freedom,
and prosperity through the enhancement of moral, eco-
nomic, and military strength, the President and Congress
should adopt a Peace Through Strength Strategy for the
post-Cold War era, the general principles and goals of
which are as follows:
•HCON 100 IH
(1) GLOBAL LEADERSHIP.—The United States
must accept and maintain global leadership through
a clear and consistent articulation of vital United
States national interests and goals. One of those
vital United States national interests is maintaining
and enhancing United States peace with freedom
and prosperity, which can best be achieved by
strengthening and asserting the moral, economic,
and military principles stated in paragraphs (2)
through (10).
(2) NATIONAL PREPAREDNESS.—To deter ag-
gression and defend vital United States national in-
terests, it is essential for the United States to main-
tain highly trained, well-equipped, and combat-ready
military forces (composed of the active forces, the
Reserves, and the National Guard) and the national
will to prevail in any conflict. It is essential to estab-
lish and maintain the capability to defend the
United States against weapons of mass destruction,
especially weapons delivered by ballistic missiles. The
use of military force by the United States must be
a thoughtful, publicly supported action of last resort,
applied decisively to achieve clearly stated objectives
that are consistent with a vital national interest of
the United States.
•HCON 100 IH
(3) COOPERATIVE
SECURITY.—United States
national security and national interests are promoted
through participation in global and regional political,
military, and economic organizations, treaties, and
alliances. However, the United States must always
retain its sovereignty and reserve the right to act
unilaterally in accord with its own interests. United
States Armed Forces should not serve under foreign
command without certification by the President that
such a command arrangement is essential for rea-
sons of national security.
(4) ECONOMIC SECURITY.—National wealth and
economic strength are the foundation of all forms of
power. National economic policy must be to foster
private enterprise, to promote successful competition
in the global marketplace, and to ensure free and
fair access to critical resources and international
markets.
(5) FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY.—The economic vi-
tality of the United States rests not only on free
market competitiveness, but also on responsible fi-
nancial management. National policy must be to re-
duce the size of the Federal Government, to balance
the Federal budget, and to erase the national debt
•HCON 100 IH
in a systematic manner that does not undermine
economic growth or national security.
(6) VIGILANCE.—The United States must ex-
pand effective human and technical intelligence ca-
pabilities in order to ensure the capability to antici-
pate, detect, and respond to emerging military, eco-
nomic, and political threats.
(7) OTHER SECURITY THREATS.—The United
States will act to lessen, prevent, and eliminate secu-
rity threats, including threats posed by the prolifera-
tion of weapons of mass destruction and of high
technology conventional arms, terrorism, drug traf-
ficking, and disruption of access to vital resources.
(8) NATIONAL UNITY.—The principal goals of
the United States have always been peace and free-
dom. To achieve these goals requires the active in-
volvement of a broad range of the citizenry of the
United States. For this reason, national security pol-
icy must be explained to the public in the clear con-
text of national interests and a realistic strategy for
protecting those interests. By identifying United
States goals and the means to achieve them, the na-
tional strategy of Peace Through Strength will unite
the American people behind their Government in
world affairs.