MissileThreat.com

Russia to Build New Missile Radar in South

A new missile warning radar will be built in southern Russia, announced Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov on Tuesday. Itar-Tass quotes Ivanov as saying that the threat of tactical or cruise missiles from the south is “quite possible,” and that Russia intends to “increase the time from observation of target to impact regarding all types of missiles, including intercontinental ballistic, tactical, and cruise missiles.” He added that the new radar will allow Russia to end its dependence on foreign elements such as the Daryal radar in Azerbaijan and the two Dnepr radars in Ukrainian Sevastopol and Mukachevo.
       The range at which the new radar will be able to detect an incoming missile will be the same as existing radars, up to 6,000 km. Ivanov made the announcement at the missile warning facility at Lekhtusi, near St. Petersburg. Unlike the “meter-band” Lekhtusi radar, the new radar is said to be more precise, operating in the decimeter band.
       Although the location of the new radar seems not to have been specified, a facility in southern Russia with a range of 6,000 km would probably be of use to any missile launched in the vicinity of Iran. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Russia, Detection and Tracking

Dinerman on Missile Defense Needs for 2006

Taylor Dinerman, writing for TheSpaceReview.com, contends that ballistic missile defense is necessary now more than ever, in light of the escalating world conflict with Iran. Dinerman points out that if the pronouncements of Iran’s leaders are any indication, they will be depending on their ballistic missiles to deliver the nuclear weapons they hope to build. If or when Iran decides to use such weapons, the first thing it would likely do is launch strikes against Israel and U.S. regional targets, perhaps followed by attacks on U.S. allies in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Although the U.S. maintains surveillance satellites are capable of locating part of Iran’s missile force, Dinerman stresses that “it takes active weapons to either destroy a missile on the ground or after it has taken off.” Yet “little has been said about the potential for missile defense to blunt [the Iranian threat], or to make it easier for the U.S. launch an attack.” If, as so many western statesmen say, Iran’s nuclear weapons program is unacceptable, “then doing something about it is going to involve more than just diplomacy.”
        Dinerman recommends that the U.S. should redeploy its Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) interceptors that performed well against Iraq’s short-range Scud missiles during the 2003 war, positioning them to defend high value regional targets. The PAC-3 units should be joined by Aegis-equipped cruisers and destroyers armed with Standard Missile-2 and SM-3 interceptors. Both the PAC-3 and Aegis should be integrated with Israel’s Arrow system, which is operational and has proven itself in recent tests.  (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Analysis, Iran

» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD, Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3)

Turkey Considering American PAC-3 and Russian S-300 Systems

Turkey is considering the purchase of missile defense systems such as the American PAC-3 and the Russian S-300P, reports DefenseNews. Last October, Turkey’s civilian procurement office, the Savunma Sanayi Mustesarligi (SSM), took control of the country’s theater air defense program, and will soon seek a final go-ahead from Turkey’s top procurement panel, the Defense Industry Executive Committee. Defense News quotes SSM officials as stating that Ankara wants systems with anti-missile capabilities, for it does not expect any serious aircraft threat in the coming years. The two strongest candidates are the American Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3), the only tactical ballistic missile defense system with combat experience, and Russian S-300P, which has already been exported to a host of nations. Although Turkey has also considered purchasing the Israeli Arrow-2 system, Israel is said to be reluctant to transfer technology so important to its defensive deterrent. (Article, Link) 

» Missile system details for: Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3), S-300P (SA-10 Grumble)

India Tests Three Akash SAMs in Two Days

India has recently carried out three tests of its Akash surface-to-air missile on January 29 and 30. The missiles were fired from the Chandipur-on-Sea testing site, 200 km of the Orissa state capital, Bhubaneswar. According to an Indian defense official, all three hit their flying targets successfully. The Akash system, which means “sky” in Hindi, is able to track 100 targets simultaneously, move at 600 m/second, and deliver its 55 km warhead across 27 km in 50 seconds. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: India, Testing - Foreign

Significance of Conservative Win in Canada

Stephen Harper’s recent Conservative Party victory in Canada will have significant consequences for hemispheric ballistic missile defense and long-term U.S.-Canadian relations, writes Martin Sieff for the UPI news agency. Sieff argues that it was Harper’s decision to break the longstanding political consensus in Canada to steer clear of BMD that gave him a significant boost in what turned out to be a tight race, and predicts Harper will find it much easier to push ahead with BMD cooperation with Washington, in contrast to domestic issues. To begin with, the debate during the election campaign indicated that BMD is relatively popular with the Canadian public. More importantly, initial cooperation with the U.S. on BMD will not cost the Canadian taxpayer one cent under the terms that President Bush offered Prime Minister Martin last February. Sieff believes that, by joining hands with the U.S. on BMD, Stephen Harper will resurrect “the tremendous tradition of strategic cooperation between the United States and Canada that guaranteed hemispheric defense through World War II and the long decades of the Cold War.” He adds Canada to a growing list of nations, including Japan and Poland, in which BMD has become a “vote winner,” support for which has characterized victorious and resurgent conservative parties. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Analysis

» Missile details: Shahab-6

Marshall Islands and U.S. Sign Agreement for Missile Range

The U.S. and the Marshall Islands will revise environmental oversight regulations that govern U.S. activities at the Army-operated Kwajalein Missile Range at Kwajalein Atoll. According to U.S. Ambassador Greta Morris, the revised environmental standards are the product of a 16-year-long effort between the U.S. and the Marshall Islands Environmental Protection Authority. The review was a requirement of a recently concluded Compact of Free Association between the two parties.
        The Kwajalein Missile Range, also known as the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, has served as the premiere U.S. offensive and defensive missile testing ground since the end of World War II. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies

» Missile system details for: Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS)

Russian General on Topol-M Regiment Status

Colonel-General Aleksandr Belousov, Russia’s first deputy minister of defense, recently inspected the rearmament of the Teykovo Missile Division in the Ivanovo Region. The division is transitioning to the new Topol-M (SS-27) ground-based, solid propellant ICBM, Russia’s premiere long-range weapon. According to Interfax, Belousov stated that “the unit is combat-ready and capable of accomplishing its inherent missions.”
        In October 2005, Colonel-General Nikolay Solovtsov, commander of the Russian Strategic Missile Troops, stated that SMT units were to be armed with the new Topol-M mobile missile system beginning in 2006.  (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Russia

» Missile details: SS-N-6

Russia Considering Permanent Base on Moon

Russia is reportedly considering the building of a permanent base on the moon, which it could use to mine the rare fuel Helium-3. The AFP quotes Nikolai Sevastyanov, head of the Energia space corporation, as recently stating that such a base could be complete by 2015—meaning that Russia would be able to begin “industrial-scale delivery” of the fuel by 2020. Rare on earth but plentiful on the moon, Helium-3 is a non-radioactive isotope of helium that can be used in nuclear fusion. Sevastyanov added that the International Space Station would have to play a key role in the project, and a transport relay to the moon would have to be established with the help of the planned Clipper spaceship, and the Parom, a space capsule intended to tug heavy cargo containers. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Russia, Space-Based Systems

Russian Missile Defense Radar in Azerbaijan

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov recently affirmed Russia’s intention to continue operating its missile defense radar station located in Qabala, Azerbaijan. According to the Turan News Agency, the Qabala radar station, which Russia rents from Azerbaijan, is capable of detecting ballistic missiles launched from the south. Ivanov recently spoke with Azerbaijani Defense Minister Safar Abiyev about Qabala, including the possibility of joint operations to ensure the station’s continued operation. (Link) 

» More stories on: Former Soviet Republics, Russia

Japan Looking into Space Forces

Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party plans to study the feasibility of relaxing Japan’s restrictions on deploying space forces for defense purposes. According to the Kyodo Japanese news agency, the LDP will seek to deploy defense forces in space as long as they are not aimed at invading or spying other countries. The party plans to set up a special subcommittee to discuss the matter, which will convene in late January. The subcommittee will be headed by Takeo Kawamura, a House of Representatives member of the LDP and the former Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. The party will recommend to the government as early as August 2006 that a 1969 Diet resolution limiting Japan’s space development be changed to allow defense purposes. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, Japan, Space-Based Systems

Popovkin on Need for Space Awareness

Colonel-General Vladimir Popovkin, commander of the Russian Space Troops, recently claimed that Russia “monitors the state of domestic and foreign spacecraft, because it’s necessary to know the whole situation in outer space.” In a conversation with Russian and French presidents Vladimir Putin and Jacques Chirac, Popovkin noted that Russia’s existing system makes it possible to receive “objective and full information” on space objects, define the trajectory of their flight, and establish what state they belong to. He added that Russia currently operates approximately 100 space apparatuses in different orbits. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Russia, Space-Based Systems

Russia to Leave Baikonur

Russia plans to withdraw its missile forces from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the oldest space launch facility in the world. According to Col.-Gen. Vladimir Popovkin, commander of the Russian Space Troops, the forces will move to the Plesetsk Cosmodrome, located in northwestern Russia approximately 800 km northeast of St. Petersburg. Popovkin was quoted by RIA-Novosti as stating that maintaining Baikonur “has become a luxury that we cannot permit ourselves.” The planned withdrawal will take place in 2007-2008. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Former Soviet Republics, Russia

» Missile system details for: Baikonur Cosmodrome, Plesetsk Cosmodrome

Russia To Have 18 GLONASS Satellites Orbiting by 2008

Russia’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS) will include 18 satellites in orbit by 2008, reports RIA Novosti. GLONASS, which is not yet operational, currently has 17 satellites in orbit, following the recent launch of Cosmos-2417, Cosmos-2418, and Cosmos-2419 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in December 2005. RIA Novosti quotes Colonel-General Vladimir Popovkin, commander of the Russian Space Troops, as stating that six more satellites will be launched as backups to the main satellites. A separate article notes that all 24 GLONASS satellites could be operational by 2009, ahead of the originally planned date of 2012. Once operational, GLONASS will provide global positioning services for various military and civilian customers. (Link) 

» More stories on: Russia, Detection and Tracking

KEI Engine Test

The Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) underwent the first in a series of static test firings of its second-stage rocket, on January 17. During the tests, the rocket motor burned successfully to completion, meeting performance and integrity expectations.
        The KEI is the planned ground-based boost-phase interceptor component of the U.S. layered ballistic missile defense system. The significance of these engine tests are to determine if it is possible to develop an interceptor capable of extraordinarily fast acceleration, necessary to “catch up” with an enemy missile from a position on the ground. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Testing - American

» Missile system details for: Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI)

Russian Missile Radars in Ukraine Under Discussion

Colonel-General Vladimir Popovkin, commander of the Russian Space Troops, stated on Wednesday that radar stations located at Sevastopol and Mukachevo in Ukraine remained firmly under Russian control. Speaking to journalists, Popovkin emphasized that Russia did not want “political battles” to affect its missile attack early warning system, and that prior agreements remained in place. In December, however, news sources had reported that Ukraine was considering retaliation against Russia, which had raised the price of its natural gas exports to Ukraine considerably. This move angered Ukraine, which threatened to host U.S. missile defense assets at Sevastopol and Mukachevo. The issue was reportedly discussed in Kiev by Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Former Soviet Republics, Russia

Russian S-400 To Go Online at 35 Locations

Russian air defense regiments in the Moscow region will be equipped with S-400 surface-to-air missiles in 2006, reports RIA Novosti. Vladimir Mikhailov, commander of the Russian Air Force, added that all 35 air defense regiments will be re-equipped with the S-400 in the future. The S-400 (NATO designation SA-20 Triumf) is an advanced surface-to-air missile system designed to destroy aircraft, cruise missiles, and short- and medium-range ballistic missiles at ranges of up to 400 kilometers (250 miles). (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Russia, Russian Missile Defenses

» Missile system details for: S-400 (SA-20 Triumf)

Russian General Discusses Bomber Capabilities

General Vladimir Mikhaylov, commander-in-chief of the Russian air force, recently discussed the capabilities of Russia’s strategic bombers with Interfax. Mikhaylov stated that Russia’s long-range aviation constitutes “the backbone of global deterrence,” specifically mentioning the Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers and Tu-22M3 long-range bombers. Mikhaylov added that these aircraft are capable of “deterring and, if needed, countering any airspace threat regardless of where it may be coming from.”

        An excerpt:

…the Tu-95MS is a “combination of a highly efficient subsonic intercontinental-range aircraft, a nuclear long-range cruise missile and a navigation and information flight support system.” “Combat capabilities of the aircraft may be improved by upgrading each of its components,” he said, noting that the “Tu-160 was a follow-on of the Tu-95MS.”

“The aircraft is unique in its capability of carrying out subsonic, supersonic and low-level flights. This combination increases flexibility, adaptability, and combat stability in a nuclear environment. The modernization prospects of the aircraft envision it being able to employ conventional weapons, including precision-guided munitions (PGM). Its avionics and standard armament will also be upgraded,” he said.

Mikhaylov pointed out that the “air force will receive a new Tu-160 as early as February-March 2006.” On the combat capabilities of the Tu-22M3 bomber, Mikhaylov said that the aircraft was “second to none in the world.” “Its high flight characteristics allow it to engage ground and surface-based targets in a variety of ways. However, its avionics will be improved as well, and the aircraft will be armed with air-to-surface guided bombs and PGMs,” Mikhaylov said.

 (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Russia

Upcoming GMD Tests

MDA plans to conduct four tests of the ground-based missile defense system in 2006. The first will involve a target missile launched from Kodiak Island, Alaska, which will be tracked by GMD radars. The second will be the first interceptor test launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The third will be a “data-collection fly-by,” using a target missile from Kodiak and an interceptor from Vandenberg. The fourth will be a live intercept attempt, again using a target missile from Kodiak and an interceptor from Vandenberg. As of yet, no dates have been set for the four tests. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Policy

» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Kodiak Launch Complex

Japan to Buy 36 SM-3 Interceptors

Japan plans to purchase 36 sea-based Standard Missile-3 interceptors from the U.S. between 2007 and 2010 for deployment on Aegis-equipped destroyers. According to Japanese government sources quoted by Kyodo, Japan will buy approximately nine SM-3 interceptors a year during this period, although specific details have yet to be ironed out. Japan’s Defense Agency hopes to complete the deployment of its first SM-3 interceptors on the destroyer Kongo by the end of 2007, followed by deployment on three other warships: the Chokai, the Myoko, and the Kirishima. Japan will also consider installing the missile defense system on two new destroyers that are being built in Nagasaki. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, Japan

» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD

Australia’s Jindalee Radar Profiled

Australia’s Jindalee radar system, capable of “seeing” over the horizon, was recently profiled in The Australian. While standard radar sends a signal along line of sight until it bounces off its target (and therefore cannot “see” beyond the horizon), Jindalee bounces signals off the ionosphere, which lies above the stratosphere and extends about 1,000 kilometers above the surface of the Earth. The signal then bounces down onto its target, allowing Jindalee to detect threats over the horizon. In this manner, Jindalee, officially known as the Jindalee Operational Radar Network (JORN), will significantly increase the time during which the U.S. and its allies can intercept incoming ballistic missiles. The Australian notes that Jindalee will be part of a larger electronic network, including spy satellites and Aegis destroyers, able to pick up the launch of a missile and determine its course and destination. Australia plans to buy three air warfare destroyers, to be equipped with the Aegis BMD system.
        In July 2004, the United States and Australia signed a memorandum of understanding pledging cooperation on missile defense for the next twenty five years.  (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, Australia, Detection and Tracking

» Missile system details for: Project DUNDEE

Taiwan Said to be Developing SAM Missile Defense

East-Asia-Intel.com reports that Taiwan is developing its own surface-to-air missile, which could have air defense and missile defense capabilities. According to local Chinese-language media reports, Taiwan is at work on the Tien Kung-3 (Sky Bow) anti-tactical ballistic missile program, comparable to the U.S. Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) system. The article notes that, if combined with the Chang Bai (Long White) radar system, the TK-3 system would be able to simultaneously engage nine targets, including cruise missiles. It is believed that the military-run Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has completed research and development of the TK-3, and will begin operational testing and evaluation this year. However, the website notes, Taiwan could be running into technical difficulties, including propulsion and targeting. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, Taiwan

Victor Davis Hanson on Missile Defense

Victor Davis Hanson, military historian and fellow of the Claremont Institute, takes note of the subject of missile defense in a recent piece for The Washington Times. Hanson discusses the geopolitical stakes in the games being played by Russia and Iran, and notes that missile defenses will prove an important element in these maneuvers.
        Hanson notes that Russia and China would play the role of “spoiler,” despite their (apparent) interest in keeping rogue nations from obtaining nuclear weapons. Yet the Russians currently make enormous profits from trade with the oil-rich Iran, and “derive a certain satisfaction from tweaking the United States.” Likewise, the Chinese see advantages in allowing North Korea to preoccupy their rivals, especially Japan, Taiwan, and the United States.
        “Strategic missile defense will prove invaluable in the decades ahead against regimes that have only a few dozen warheads,” writes Hanson. Of course, truly “strategic” missile defense capabilities would be arrayed against all threats, and not only those by Iran and North Korea. In the parlance, “strategic defenses” are those which, like Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, are meant to replace the reliance upon purely offensive deterrence (or mutually assured destruction) with a defense against large-scale or “strategic” threats, such as those posed by Russia and China. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Analysis, Policy

Case for Polish Participation

Maria Wagrowska of the Warsaw-based Centre for International Relations and vice-president of the Euroatlantic Association, makes the case for Polish participation in U.S. missile defense. In an article entitled “Missile Shield: Opportunity for Poland to Gain ‘Added Value’ in Security Policy” printed in Rzeczpospolita, she notes that missile defense will be the “most important strategic issue” in the coming decades, as a terrorist attack using WMD carried by a ballistic missile constitutes the “worst imaginable scenario.” Missile defense, she argues, is a response to a “distant and unpredictable threat, not a short-term and well-defined one,” and that decisions made today will have an impact on scenarios that will arise 50 years from now. Wagrowska correctly identifies the long term strategic implications at stake with this issue.
        Wagrowska emphasizes that Poland must be able to count on complete U.S. support in the case of future threats to its national security. In the past, the U.S.-Polish security relationship has relied on declarations made during the NATO enlargement period, during which the U.S. was the ultimate guarantor of security for the whole of Central and Eastern Europe. Because times have changed, Wagrowska says, Poland should strive to forge a “strategic agreement going far beyond an ordinary military cooperation agreement or a non-proliferation cooperation agreement.” Such an agreement should take into account financial issues, be concluded for a specified period of time, and include both a renewal clause and a termination clause, she adds.
        The U.S. is said to be considering Poland as a location for the third ground-based missile site, similar to existing sites at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.  (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies

Timmerman on Iran

Conflict between Israel and Iran may well be brewing, suggests Kenneth R. Timmerman in FrontPage Magazine. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s stroke has thrown Israeli politics into turmoil, and might be the starting point of a coming showdown between the Jewish state and the Islamic republic. Timmerman notes that Sharon had made a strategic decision—against the advice of his own generals and intelligence staff—to support U.S. backed nuclear negotiations with Iran led by the EU. With Sharon incapacitated, Israel might pursue other options in the face of escalating Iranian rhetoric and actions.
        On January 3, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps began a two-day seminar in Tehran on nuclear-biological-chemical warfare and new defense technologies, including lectures by Iranian experts on electromagnetic pulse weapons, graphite bombs, and laser-guided bombs. On January 4, three battalions of the IRGC began three days of military exercises in the Semnan province, not far from Iran’s main ballistic missile test range. That same day, Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani, told Iranian TV that Israel will “suffer a great loss” if it attacks Iran, noting that Israel has “no strategic depth” and is “within our range.” In addition, the Russians have agreed to sell S-300 anti-ballistic missile systems to Iran.
        In early December, Lieutenant General Dan Halutz, Israel’s military chief of staff, told foreign journalists in Tel Aviv that he believed diplomacy had reached a dead end. When asked by one reporter how far Israel was ready to go to stop Iran’s nuclear projects, Halutz replied, “2,000 kilometers,” the distance by air between Israel and Iran’s main nuclear and missile sites.  (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Analysis, Iran, Israel

BMDS Sensor Test

Raytheon has successfully tested the Tactical Component Network (TCN), a sensor network for the U.S. missile defense architecture. TCN is designed to network vast numbers of diverse sensor systems, such as early warning and tracking satellites, and maximize their ability to contribute to a single integrated air picture over existing communication systems. The project is funded by MDA. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Detection and Tracking

Jane’s: Taiwan Has Prototypes of New Cruise Missile

Taiwan has produced three prototypes of a new cruise missile which could be used to strike the east coast of China, reports Jane’s Defence Weekly. The missile, known as the Hsiung Feng 2E (Brave Wind), has a range of more than 600 km (360 miles), meaning that if deployed on Penghu Island in the south or Tungyin Island in the north, it could strike as far south as Hong Kong and as far north as Shanghai. Initial plans are said to be for the production of up to 50 missiles before 2010, and up to 500 missiles beginning after 2010.
        Jane’s adds that Taiwan’s military-run Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, the developer of the missile, plans to extend the HF-2E’s range to 1,000 km, although this would require the acquisition of specialized engine components from the U.S. So far, Washington has refused to provide these components, perhaps due to provisions under the Missile Technology Control Regime.
        Efforts by Taiwan to begin limited cruise and ballistic missile programs are a response to the bloated missile buildup by their larger Communist neighbor, with now over 700 ballistic missiles and a some hundreds of cruise missiles stationed deployed within range of the small island nation. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, Cruise Missiles, Taiwan

Romanian General on Deployment Possibility

Reports that the U.S. would deploy missile defense elements in Romania are “speculation,” according to a top Romanian general. Speaking on Radio Romania Actualitati, General Eugen Badalan, Chief of the Romanian Army’s General Staff, stated that the issue “has never been broached at the National Defence Ministry level or at the Army’s General Staff level.” The interview on Bucharest radio was a response to pieces in The Washington Times.
        On December 27, James Hackett had written in The Washington Times that the U.S. plans to build a third ground-based missile site in Europe, similar to those in Alaska and California. Hackett had noted that “prime locations” under consideration are Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, or Romania. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies

India Fires Dhanush

India test-launched its short-range Dhanush ballistic missile on December 28, reports the Press Trust of India. The missile was launched from a warship in the Bay of Bengal off the eastern coast. The Dhanush, capable of carrying nuclear warheads, is the naval version of surface-to-surface Prithvi missile. It has a range of 250 kilometers and can carry a payload of 500 kilograms. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: India, Testing - Foreign

» Missile details: Dhanush

Congress Requires Studies on Ship-Launched Threat

Congress has directed the Missile Defense Agency, the Defense Intelligence Agency, and U.S. Northern Command to each examine and report upon how to defend against the threat of a ship-launched missile: short-range missiles fired from cargo ships off the U.S. coast. As quoted in the December 22, 2005 edition of Inside the Pentagon, the conference report on the FY 2006 defense appropriations bill recommends “$10 million to conduct a comprehensive analysis on the need for and deployment of an asymmetric missile defense capability, including both land- and sea-based solutions, against the full range of asymmetric missile threats.” In particular, the MDA director will be required to submit a report to Congress by June 1, 2006, with MDA’s recommendations for deployment options. The DIA’s report is due March 1, 2006.
        Such salutary action by Congress requiring the MDA to directly consider the ship-launched threat and the architecture necessary to combat it could represent an initial first step toward transforming a Clinton-administration missile defense architecture into a much more robust and layered defense. A report, however, is only the first step. After all, the 1998 Rumsfeld report warned of such a threat, as did the 2001 report submitted by the Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) commission.  (Link) 

» More stories on: Policy, Ship-Launched Threat

Capabilities of Japanese Ship-Based Defenses

The U.S. and Japan are moving forward on the joint Aegis ship-based missile defense program, reports Defense Daily. The Missile Defense Agency plans to conduct a test of the Standard Missile-3 in March 2006, which could accelerate development of the missile. The SM-3, the interceptor for the ship-based Aegis defense system, features a two-color seeker, advanced signal processing, and a new divert and attitude control system. As noted by Rear Admiral Brad Hicks, commander and program director, the SM-3 will significantly increase the area a ship can defend and increase the kill probability against a larger threat. At present, Japan has committed to deploy SM-3 interceptors on one destroyer and three other ships. (Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, Japan

» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD

Hackett on Need for East Coast Defenses

James T. Hackett argues persuasively in The Washington Times that the U.S. must defend its highly-populated East Coast against ballistic missile attack. He acknowledges that MDA is correctly concentrating on deploying the most urgent missile defenses in Alaska and California, to defend against threats from North Korea and China. Yet Hackett reminds us that major East Coast population centers remain vulnerable to attack from the Middle East.
        Iran, for instance, is determined to produce both long-range missiles and nuclear warheads, and is anywhere from a few months to a few years away from having a nuclear bomb. Iran is also at work on a longer-range variation of its Shahab-3 missile that would be able to strike Western Europe. It is possible that the Iranians could extend this new missile to reach the eastern U.S. In addition, Al-Qaeda still considers Washington and New York among its prime targets and would like to strike them yet again. It is possible that Al-Qaeda could get its hands on a ballistic missile armed with a nuclear warhead, perhaps one of the hundreds of aging ballistic missiles and thousands of nuclear warheads in Russia.
        Hackett’s solution is to begin work on a ground-based missile site in Europe, and his site recommendation is Poland. A long and reliable friend, Poland recently elected a pro-American, anti-terror, conservative government. As Hackett argues, “A site there would strengthen our military alliance with Poland and move toward the goal of a global missile defense.” The U.S. would, with such a site, also achieve a missile defense for the East Coast, at least against certain types of missile threats. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: Allies, Analysis

Six Chinese Companies Sanctioned for Proliferation

The U.S. has placed six Chinese state-owned companies under sanctions for selling WMD materials to Iran. According to Interfax, the materials included cruise and ballistic missile systems. Under the terms of the Iran Nonproliferation Act, the six companies will be prohibited from doing business with the U.S. government, and U.S. firms will not be allowed to sell “sensitive products,” meaning equipment that can be converted into WMD or delivery systems, to these companies. The Iran Nonproliferation Act was set up to deter international support for Iran’s nuclear, chemical, biological and missile programs.
        The six companies are China National Aerotechnology Import Export Corp (CATIC), China North Industries Corporation (NORINCO), Zibo Chemet Equipment Co, Hongdu Aviation Industry Group (HAIG), Ounion International Economic and Technical Cooperation Ltd, and Limmt Metallurgy and Minerals Company Ltd. CATIC, NORINCO and Zibo have been sanctioned in the past. This is the fifth time Zibo and Norinco have been sanctioned, since May 2002 and June 2003 respectively. CATIC was previously sanctioned in December 2004. (Article, Link) 

» More stories on: China, Proliferation