U.S. Sequestration Won’t Happen, Levin Predicts

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee chairman predicted June 14 that Congress will find a way to avoid automatic budget cuts in January that could hurt national security, but he added that any ultimate budget agreement won’t leave the U.S. Defense Department unscathed.

Communications Cross-link Tested

A communications cross-link between missile defense satellites tested successfully after activation by U.S. companies Northrop Grumman and Raytheon.

Kitazawa, Gates look at exporting jointly developed interceptor

It looks a decision on selling the US-Japanese joint develeoped SM-3 missile defense system to third party nations could be made this year. Japanese Defense Minister Toshimi Kitaza and U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates agreed Thursday to start talks about this possibility. They also confirmed their unity over regional issues, including the rising tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

MDAA Alert: U.S. Homeland Missile Defense

Dear Members and Friends,

The number one priority for ballistic missile defense as stated and outlined clearly by President Barack Obama is the defense of the United States homeland. The American public demands, supports and expects ballistic missile defense for the protection of the U.S. homeland.

Boeing Missile System Misses Target for Second Time This Year, U.S. Says

The Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) failed another test, its second in a row, yesterday. Both the GBI and the target missile launched successfully and all radars and systems performed to standard but their was no intercept. This marks the 7th failed intercept in 15 attempts for the Ground-Based Mid-course Defense (GMD) program.

MDAA Breaking News: Ground-Based Interceptor Test Fails

Dear Members and Friends,

This afternoon, north of Hawaii, above the atmosphere the Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) failed to destroy an incoming intermediate-range target missile launched from Kwajalein Atoll. This is the second failure of our nation’s long range missile defense system under the testing program of the current administration and its Ballistic Missile Defense Review policy, released in February 2010 by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates.

Don’t Let Russia Limit U.S. Defense

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton insists no secret agreement is being negotiated between this country and Russia to limit U.S. missile defense systems. If not, she should have no trouble in complying with a request by six senators for documents involved in talks on the subject.

U.S. and Russian officials have met to discuss missile defense programs. But the State Department insists the talks have been merely to review missile “challenges” involving Asia and the Middle East – clearly, Iran and North Korea. The six senators want to be certain there will be no agreement – concluded in private – that could limit U.S. development of missile defense systems.

Missile Beats Flying Lightsaber In Crucial Test

Missile 1, Flying Laser 0. So much for America’s real-life “lightsaber.”

The Missile Defense Agency has spent billions to trick out a Boeing 747 with a laser to shoot down missiles. But the so-called Airborne Laser Test Bed just failed a crucial test that it was expected to pass: shooting down a mock nuclear-armed missile from 100 miles away.

Sure, the flying laser was able to hit the dummy missile as it launched, reports Danger Room co-founder Sharon Weinberger, who broke the story for AOL News. But it wasn’t able to send it crashing into the Pacific Ocean during a September 1 test, as it was supposed to — and this was after delaying the test four times. “Program officials will conduct an extensive investigation to determine the cause of the failure to destroy the target missile,” the agency emailed Weinberger.

North Korea Threatens “Physical Retaliation” Against South’s Naval Drills

North Korea’s military warned it may make a “physical retaliation” against South Korean naval ships carrying out military drills near their disputed border later this week, and told all shipping to avoid the area.

South Korea plans to stage anti-submarine exercises for five days starting Aug. 5 to improve the nation’s defenses. The South says a North Korean torpedo sank one of its warships in March, killing 46 sailors. The North denies the charges, accusing the South of fabricating evidence.

The maneuvers by South Korea “are not simple drills but undisguised military intrusion into the inviolable territorial waters of” the North, state-run Korea Central News Agency said, citing the army. “It is the unshakable will and steadfast resolution of the army and people of the DPRK to return fire for fire,” it said, using the initials of the North’s official name.

U.S. to Aid South Korea With Naval Defense Plan

The U.S. has agreed to help South Korea develop a more effective naval defense against the rising antagonism by the North. While the U.S. military manpower has been stretched thin by two on going wars, military officials believe they can still provide sufficient support through the deployment of more warships and aircraft to the region.

WASHINGTON — Surprised by how easily a South Korean warship was sunk by what an international investigation concluded was a North Korean torpedo fired from a midget submarine, senior American officials say they are planning a long-term program to plug major gaps in the South’s naval defenses.

They said the sinking revealed that years of spending and training had still left the country vulnerable to surprise attacks.