Missile Defense
September 25, 2008
"With increasing instability throughout the world and in the region, we must continue to bolster our nation's and our allies' defenses. President Bush should be commended for his steadfast commitment to the deployment of an effective missile defense system capable of protecting the United States, its allies and its forward deployed forces from the growing threat of missile attack." --Senator James Inhofe
The mission of protecting the United States against a ballistic missile attack is becoming increasingly important. Our enemies are working on advanced missile technology and nuclear warheads, and there is little doubt that these technologies and capabilities are being shared with terrorist elements. In short, our enemies are advancing their ability to reach out and hit us, our Allies and our forward deployed forces in a devastating way. In his position as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Inhofe has been a proponent for the deployment of an integrated ballistic missile defense system.
Today, more than twenty countries have a ballistic missile capability. North Korea and Iran are both developing ballistic missiles for coercion and intimidation and the proliferation of ballistic missile technology amongst the world's rogue nations is increasing.
On February 3, 1999, Senator Inhofe cosponsored the National Missile Defense Act of 1999, which formally declared that it is U.S. policy to deploy as soon as technologically possible a National Missile Defense system capable of defending U.S. territory against limited ballistic missile attack and seek continued negotiated reductions in Russian nuclear forces.
In 2001, Senator Inhofe called upon the President to move quickly in forging a national commitment to the deployment of a robust global missile defense system capable of defending all 50 States, our allies and our forward deployed troops around the world. As part of the plan, Senator Inhofe believed we should appropriate the necessary budgets, exploit all options and technologies, and seriously consider an initial deployment at sea, using our proven Aegis ships and complementing it with important ground and spaced based systems.
On December 16, 2002, the President issued National Security Presidential Directive 23, announcing the plan to begin deployment of a set of missile defense capabilities in 2004, including ground-based interceptors, sea-based interceptors, additional Patriot (PAC-3) units, and sensors based on land, at sea, and in space.
It is important to note that at that time, no ballistic missile defense capability existed. By the end of this year we will have as many as 30 ground-based interceptors, 18 Aegis cruisers and destroyers with almost 100 standard missile interceptors aboard, and multitude of radars and command and control suites all over the world.
On May 21, 2008, the government of the Czech Republic formally approved one of the two required treaties to permit the deployment of a missile defense system on Czech territory.
Negotiations on the second deal, which deals with issues including taxes and the legal status of US soldiers, are yet to be concluded. On August 15, 2008 an agreement was reached with Poland over the deployment of the interceptor missile system in the country. NATO allies had agreed to endorse the proposed US missile shield system over Eastern Europe, despite Russia's objections.
As someone who has long viewed the deployment of missile defense as an urgent national priority, the recent agreement with Poland is certainly welcome news. In December 2007, March 2008, and again in July 2008, Senator Inhofe traveled to Europe to discuss the importance of missile defense with leaders from Poland and the Czech Republic as well as American commanders in Europe. They discussed overall missile defense, ground based missile defense capabilities, and the radar site in Czech Republic and the interceptor site in Poland. The recent agreement with Poland and our partnership with the Czech Republic show we are continuing to take the threat seriously and take another step toward strengthening our security.
As a senior member of the Senate Armed Service Committee, Senator Inhofe recently oversaw the authorization of $10.7 billion for missile defense in the FY09 National Defense Authorization Bill. Final fiscal year 2009 appropriations will provide an additional $120 million for MDA's near-term programs -- Ground-based Missile Defense, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense, and Theater High Altitude Area Defense.
The bill reduces funding for farther-term missile defense programs such as Space Tracking and Surveillance System, Airborne Laser, and Multiple Kill Vehicle. It also adds $58 million for the U.S.-Israeli Cooperative Missile Defense Programs, Upper-tier and Short Range Ballistic Missile Defense. Further, the bill provides $467 million for the European Missile Defense sites and development and testing of the two-stage interceptor.
Senator Inhofe was a vocal supporter of offsets that resulted in funding additions for near-term, proven missile defense capabilities, and other high priority programs, with reductions to lower priority or longer term missile defense programs, which will give the United States a greater operational missile defense capability sooner, and ensure that American's tax dollars are being used on systems that are proven effective.
|
