MDAA Legislative Alert

Our latest Legislative Alert was featured on the Heritage Foundation’s National Security Blog

MDAA on the Defense Budget

The Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) released a legislative alert on the defense budget. Under the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2010, missile defense will lose $1.2 billion in funding. Missile interceptors in Alaska and California would be reduced from 44 to 30.

According to the alert, President Barack Obama intends to shift away from national missile defense to theater missile defense. Earlier this month, we noted that the Obama administration planned to shift funds away from weapons and research for future conflicts and focus on weapons needed for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The NDAA passed the House and Senate in committee, and lawmakers are introducing amendments to restore funding.

The MDAA notes that missile defense cuts would cancel the Multiple Kill Vehicle, Kinetic Energy Interceptor, and Airborne Laser. Visit the MDAA site for more information.

Missile defense making a comeback with Begich

Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) has an amendment that doesn’t restore all of the money to missile defense, but it does restore some. It saves some of the planned ground-based interceptors supposed to go in at Fort Greeley, Alaska.

The amendment isn’t through and there’s still plenty of work to be done, but this is the most progress that has been made to restoring any of the cuts to missile defense thus far this session.

Sen. Begich worked hand in hand with his fellow Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowsko (R-AK). From day one, both have been supporters of missile defense. As a member of the Armed Services Committee, Begich has asked tough questions of MDA and Administration officials. He has only been in the Senate for six months, but already he’s making his voice heard and making an impact.

The amendment would finish construction the 14 interceptors that had been moved to testing and backup programs. It would close up six silos built hastily four and five years ago that are having maintainence problems.

This doesn’t end the fight for the other interceptors. Already the system is behind because there have been maintainence issues with the interceptors alread emplaced. Plus there are seven more interceptors to fight for. The amendment also doesn’t allocate money. That will come from Appropriations, which is one of the committees on which Sen. Murkowski sits.

There’s still work to be done.

Find out more here and here.

JSanderson

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Missile Defense: A History (part 1)

Over the next few days, we’ll be breaking down the history of missile defense, from the political atmosphere that first brought it to the forefront and on through its development.

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During the years that followed the end of World War II, the Western Democracies, lead by the United States, and the Soviet-lead Eastern Bloc were locked in a political, economical, ideological and sometimes military battle known as the Cold War. In the military arena, both main superpowers, were developing more advanced offensive weapon systems like the long-range bomber and the new intercontinental ballistic missile system as a mean to safeguard each country against the possibility of a preemptive strike by the other superpower.

A counterweight was needed to be found in order to defend the United States against this possibility. With the development of the nuclear bomb and later the thermonuclear bomb, the battlefield was changed for ever. All existing defensive systems were rendered obsolete the moment the bomb was delivered to Nagasaki. The awesome power of this new weapon altered the Pentagon’s defense strategy.

In the past, the United States mainland defenses were focused at an conventional invasion attempt. Now, with the realization that a massive nuclear attack could cripple most of the country in hours, the United States military planners began to construct a new defense posture. The new posture was centered around the means of stopping the enemy ability to produce a surprise nuclear strike. This means stopping the bombers and the offensive ballistic missiles. By the mid 1950s, after an extended period of research and the development, the U.S. was able to field a first generation antiaircraft missile system that was capable of delivering conventional or nuclear warheads at incoming bomber formations. At the same time, both the United States and the Soviet Union were moving ahead with the development of a series of offensive missile platforms that could deliver a bigger nuclear payload against ground targets located thousand of miles away. The need to defend the home land was more imperative now that at any time in the history of the United States. The development and fielding of workable defensive missile system was giving top priority by the U.S. government.

These missile systems were the ultimate in weapon development of the era. Massive amounts resources were invested in the research and development of these missile systems. This book will provide the reader with an overview of the fixed, land-based defensive missile systems developed by the United States during the years of the Cold War. The NIKE, BOMARC and Safe Guard programs will be discussed as well as the deterrence missile systems, the Atlas, Titan, Minuteman and Peacekeeper will also be discussed. The book end with a brief look at the future of the United States antiballistic missile defenses in the 21^st century.

RColon

For more on the history of missile defense, including legislation, see the MDAA website

Check back tomorrow for more on missile defense history.

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Multiple Kill Vehicle Test

Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV) Test

Check out this video of the 2008 MKV test. In the test the MKV identifies and follows a simulated target. It uses its boosters to move vertically, horizontally and even can stop and restart itself. Make sure you watch the whole video!

MFuller

How to write about missile defense

Step One:
Get the facts.

Step Two:
Double check the facts.

Step Three:
Write the story

That doesn’t always happen, so remember the next piece of information:
If you haven’t gotten the facts straight, expect that someone is going to set you straight.

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JSanderson

North Korea threatens the US

As tensions mount in anticipation of yet another North Korean missile test, the North Korean government has issued another inflammatory declaration. The North Korean Government reportedly said that, “If the U.S. imperialists start another war, the army and people of Korea will … wipe out the aggressors on the globe once and for all.”

This was said the day before the 59^th anniversary of the beginning of the Korean War. The Korean War lasted 3 years and resulted in uneasy truce between the North and South which has left the Korean peninsula in a declared state of war.

Experts agree that North Korea is believed to be planning on testing ballistic missiles within the next two weeks. The North’s most recent weapons test was in May when it tested a nuclear bomb along with other missiles.

For more information check out: North Korea threatens US; world anticipates missile

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MFuller

Meet THAAD

This is the first installment of our weekly profile of weapon systems — this week ‘Meet THADD’.

As a result of recent North Korean provocations, several missile defense systems have been moved to the Pacific. One of these is the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system. The THAAD system is a mobile land based asset that can target and destroy a missile as it moves into the final or terminal phase of flight.  The THAAD system can be loaded on a C-130 and rapidly deployed anywhere in the world.

Check out this video of THAAD tests!

 

MFuller

Sensors for missile defense, what about radars?

As I wrote about yesterday, the Air Force received its first STSS satellite this week. This will allow important tracking of mid course missile flight, among other sensor capabilities.

But early launch detection and tracking, that’s the key to early phase intercepts. So then why are we backing off from our commitment to the third site in Poland and the Czech Republic?

The radar in the Czech Republic would be as close to Iran’s backyard as we’ve been able to get. It would be a vast improvement over our interspersed sensing capabilities in the region.

But last week, Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn backed off our commitment to the third site at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing. It is only an “option” he said, and that it is being looked at and compared to alternatives. This dismayed some of the Senators, most notably Sen. John McCain and Sen. Joe Lieberman.

While this part wasn’t declared, the implication from the Obama Administration backing off is cooperation with Russia (which is quite questionable if it can be achieved). That same hearing included quite a bit of discussion about Russia’s radar sites, two of which are even closer to Iran than the Czech Republic. There’s one in Azerbaijan and one in southern Russia.

These sites are an option as well, and Russia wants the third site off the table before substantive missile defense discussions can be held.

But we have to be careful. We made a commitment to the Polish and Czech people and we cannot just slip out of it without some sort of consequence. We need more sensor capability near Iran and we should not just go chasing after Russia for a couple years. We will see what comes of President Obama’s upcoming meetings with Russia, but we must not ruin our opportunities with the third site for a maybe.

Satellite sensors mean better missile defense

It has been stressed time and time again: sensors are the backbone of the missile defense system. The next step in strengthening that backbone is nearing operation.

The Air Force received a state-of-the-art missile-tracking satellite from Northrop Grumman this week. The satellite, part of the Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS), will be put into orbit later this year. 

STSS is an essential aspect of any early missile intercepts. Though boost phase intercepting has been taken off the table for now, the concept of assent phase intercept has been put on. Assent phase aims to intercept missiles as soon after they leave powered flight as possible.

Newer and better sensors systems such as STSS will allow for earlier detection and tracking of missiles. The early they are tracked, the early an intercept can occur. With Iran developing solid fuel missiles, the development of early detection technology must continue to be a priority.

STSS will be capable of tracking satellites during midcourse flight, something no other orbiting system is currently capable of accomplishing.

In hearings during the current session of Congress, Missile Defense Agency Director Lt. Gen. Patrick O’Reilly and other witnesses stressed the importance of the sensor systems being deployed.

So the delivery and the upcoming deployment of this satellite are positive steps on our development of a comprehensive missile defense system.

See news stories here and more here

JSanderson

“33 Minutes” Movie Showing Tonight!

“33 Minutes” Showing tonight @ The Heritage Foundation

 Tonight at 6:00 PM the Heritage Foundation will show the documentary “33 Minutes.” The documentary is about the threats that face the United States and what we should do to protect ourselves from those threats. After the showing, the Heritage Foundation will have a presentation by bestselling author Brad Thor.

 Check out this website for more information about the documentary and to watch the trailer:

http://www.heritage.org/33-minutes/

 

MFuller