December 10, 2006 :: New York Times :: News
The New York Times today profiled the ground-based missile defense base at Fort Greely, Alaska. Located about 160 km southeast of Fairbanks, this sub-arctic outpost operated by the 49th Missile Defense Battalion of the Alaska National Guard “is where progress on the long-embattled missile system is perhaps most evident,” according to military officials. Eleven ground-based interceptors are deployed in underground silos at Fort Greely, with a 12th scheduled for installation later this month. This summer, when North Korea signaled that it planned to fire a Taep’o-dong-2 intercontinental ballistic missile, Fort Greely went on alert. After the test either failed or was aborted, “there was a little bit of a letdown” at the base, said Lieutenant Colonel Edward E. Hildreth III, commander of the 49th, “because we were prepared.” Hildreth said was well aware of criticism that missile defense was far from a perfected program. He said Fort Greely operated in a balance between operational mode and construction. “We build a little, test a little,” he said. “It’s fluid.”
(Article)
» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Fort Greely
