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U.S. Seeks To Expand Umbrella of Missile Defense Coverage

11 May 2006

International community shows growing interest in robust missile defenses

By Jacquelyn S. Porth
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington --The director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency says robust defenses are needed against a broad range of current and evolving strategic and tactical ballistic missile threats.

Air Force Lieutenant General Henry “Trey” Obering told members of Congress May 10 that the United States and key partners are working to expand the existing umbrella of defensive coverage to prevent the United States and its allies from being coerced or threatened by ballistic missiles -- possibly carrying a weapon of mass destruction.

Since he began his tenure at the MDA in 2003, Obering said he has seen a willingness among U.S. allies to develop and collaborate in the field of missile defense.  He told the Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee that he has seen the number of countries participating in the agency’s annual international missile defense conference increase every year.  In September 2005, he said, 1,000 delegates traveled to Rome from 20 nations to confer.

Japan, Israel and the United Kingdom have been in the forefront of missile defense collaboration, he said.  Obering pointed to Japan’s $1 billion-plus investment in missile defense that embraces co-development with the United States, as well as procurement.  Japan will host the first transportable, forward-based X-band radar, which, by operating at short wave-length frequencies, provides high resolution imaging for long-range identification, tracking and discrimination among incoming missiles.  (See related article.)

He also said the United States has learned much from working collaboratively with the Israelis.  Some of this occurs during annual military exercises, he said, while additional learning transpired during “Operation Iraqi Freedom” when the Israeli Arrow and the American Patriot missile defense systems were deployed together to provided integrated coverage.

Additionally, Obering said, the United States has benefited technologically from its work with Israel through incorporation of some Arrow innovations into agency interceptor programs.  Senator Conrad Burns told him that subcommittee members, who have voted to help fund the Arrow program, are pleased with its successes -- including a recent intercept test -- “especially in light of recent developments in Iran.”

The United Kingdom also is working with the United States to upgrade an early-warning ballistic missile defense radar system at the British military base at Fylingdales.  Obering said the project should be finished later this year.

Obering said international interest is understandable given the threat that exists: in 2005 there were 80 foreign ballistic missile launches (60 were short-range; 10 medium- to intermediate-range; and 10 long-range).

COOPERATION WITH EUROPE, IN NATO

Lieutenant General Larry Dodgen, who leads the Army’s Space and Missile Command and testified at the hearing alongside Obering, also pointed to increased interest in missile defense within the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

NATO has been studying missile defense requirements, he said, and is expected to “come forward next year with some recommendations as to what they want to field.”

A number of NATO countries have acquired the U.S. Patriot missile system, Dodgen said, and Spain is planning to do so soon.  He also pointed to the U.S.-German-Italian partnership to produce the follow-on to the Patriot system, known as MEADS.

Dodgen also said European cooperation exists through the deployment of a Joint Tactical Ground Station in Stuttgart, Germany.  He said its transportable information processing system that downloads data from sensors provides early warning for the United States and allies in Europe regarding potential hostile launches of tactical ballistic missiles.

Obering said there are plans to integrate a missile defense battle management command-and-control system in Europe and the Middle East.  The Pacific area already has integrated sensors and interceptors for what he calls “the brain of the system.”

Senator Thad Cochran told the witnesses that it is important to maintain a spirit of cooperation with other countries so that the United States can “deploy radars and other capabilities around the world that make the whole system work.”

Once a long-range missile interceptor field and associated sensors are located in Europe, Obering said, they will provide “improved coverage of the United States and greatly improved protection of our allies and friends in Europe against the Middle East threat” which he identified in his prepared testimony as Iran.

For more information about U.S. policy, see Arms Control & Non-Proliferation.

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)