September 30, 2006 :: Marshall Institute :: News
On Tuesday, September 26, the George C. Marshall Institute hosted a forum on cruise missile defense at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, gave the opening remarks, stressing the importance of defending the homeland and U.S. troops and allies overseas from the cruise missile threat. “Our enemy has the political will to cause death and destruction of catastrophic proportions to the United States, but they do not have the capacity to do it yet,” Franks said. “Americans have the capacity to defend ourselves; we just need to steel the will of the American people and of the Congress so that we can defend ourselves from these emerging threats.”
The Congressman’s speech was followed by a roundtable discussion with Captain Robert Barwis of the Joint Theater Air and Missile Defense Organization (JTAMDO); John Heidenrich, a senior policy analyst at Science Applications International Organization (SAIO); and Christopher Bolkcom, an analyst in national defense at the Congressional Research Service (CRS). The discussion focused on the nature of the threat and the unique challenge of protecting the homeland against cruise missiles, which are difficult to identify and track and could be easily confused with commercial airliners. The participants also discussed possible strategies for deploying an effective cruise missile defense.
» Press Release for Congressman Trent Franks’ keynote address on cruise missile defense
» More stories on: Cruise Missile Defenses, Cruise Missiles
