September 25, 2006 :: AP :: News
Congress has secured an additional $200 million for the U.S. missile defense system. The funding is in the annual defense spending bill that was approved by a U.S. House-Senate conference committee last week, according to the Senate Appropriations Committee. The additional funds will be spent on “test infrastructure, operations support and additional interceptors for ground-based missile defense.” The final defense spending bill calls for $9.4 billion for all missile defense programs except the Patriot system in the fiscal year beginning October 1. That amount is $110 million above President Bush’s request. Spending on comparable programs was $8.74 billion in the current fiscal year. Of the $9.4 billion for the upcoming fiscal year, $2.8 billion is earmarked for the ground-based system. The defense spending bill now heads to each congressional chamber for final passage. Amendments are not permitted.
Similar to last year, the Senate Appropriations Committee added language to the defense spending bill expressing dissatisfaction with the Missile Defense Agency’s direction: “The committee is concerned that MDA is investing too much funding in future systems and technology in advance of adequate testing and fielding of currently available technology.” Last year, the Committee’s defense panel, chaired by Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), addressed the agency in similar terms. “Contrary to repeated Defense Department statements on spiral development and block upgrades for the missile defense program, MDA at best plans only marginal improvements to the capability of the GMD program’s ground-based interceptor,” it said then in its report. (Article)
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» Missile system details for: Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)
