Senate Lifts Ban on Anti-Satellite Tests : 74-9 Vote Authorizes Reagan to Act if No Treaty With Soviets Is Reached

The Senate, ignoring warnings that its action would jeopardize the chances for a new U.S.-Soviet treaty limiting anti-satellite technology in space, voted Friday to lift a moratorium on testing of such weapons.

By a vote of 51 to 35, the Senate rejected a proposal by Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) to continue the current ban on testing of anti-satellite weapons, known by the acronym of ASAT. It then voted 74 to 9 for an Administration-backed proposal by Sen. John Warner (R-Va.) authorizing President Reagan to conduct such tests at will if the United States fails to reach a treaty with Moscow restricting ASAT testing.

At issue was the Administration’s plan to conduct three tests later this summer in which a miniature homing vehicle would be fired from an F-15 fighter at an object in space. The device under development is designed to disable a satellite on impact.

Contrast With MX

Debate on the ASAT issue contrasted sharply with positions taken by some senators earlier in the week on a plan that will limit deployment of the MX missile. Reagan’s supporters argued against the MX limitation on grounds that it would undermine the current arms control talks in Geneva, but both sides used that argument to support their position on ASAT testing.

“I believe that a continued ASAT moratorium is vital to the successful negotiation of an arms control agreement on anti-satellite weapons,” Kerry said. “If the United States goes ahead and tests its F-15 ASAT this summer, therefore, it will be letting a far more dangerous genie out of the bottle. It would jeopardize the chances for a treaty that could prevent either side from threatening the other’s satellites.”

Warner countered that Kerry’s proposal would have amounted to a “unilateral concession” in arms control talks, conceding ASAT superiority to the Soviet Union. He noted that the Soviets are seeking a halt in ASAT testing in the Geneva negotiations.

The exchange prompted Sen. John H. Chafee (R-R.I.) to remark: “This argument about ‘Don’t hamper Geneva’ could make us just bystanders in the U.S. Senate. This could make us eunuchs around here as far as arms control goes.”

Kerry’s proposal would have prohibited the Administration from conducting any tests this year or next--even though current law provides that the President can order three tests this year if he certifies to Congress that it would not impair the prospects for an ASAT treaty with the Soviets.

Four Conditions

Warner’s proposal, amended to a bill authorizing the Defense Department to spend $302 billion during fiscal 1986, not only would allow three additional tests in 1985 and 1986 but also sets out four conditions under which the Administration could conduct such testing at will in 1986.

Those conditions include if the United States is negotiating a treaty, if it is necessary for national security, if it would not impair arms talks and if it does not violate existing treaties.

The existing Soviet ASAT system is believed to be more primitive than the U.S. device. The Soviet Union offered a proposal when arms talks resumed recently that would have banned testing of such systems, but it was rejected by the United States because adherence to such a treaty would be too difficult to verify.

The Senate will take up the defense authorization bill again on June 3, when it returns from its Memorial Day vacation.

The House still is considering its smaller version of the Pentagon budget, and differences between the two bills will be settled in conference committee.