Successful Aegis Missile Defense Intercept Occurs in Pacific Test

(Russians invited to observe upcoming December test, Bolton says)

By Jacqui Porth Washington File Security Affairs Writer

Washington — The U.S. Navy and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
recorded a successful test November 21 demonstrating the ability of a
missile fired from an Aegis-class cruiser to intercept a “hostile”
missile during its ascent.

The missile test, dubbed Flight Mission-4 (FM-4), involved the firing
of a developmental Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) from the USS Lake Erie
which engaged a ballistic missile target launched from a missile range
on Kauai, Hawaii. The target was a modified, single-stage Minuteman
intercontinental ballistic missile.

“Achieving an intercept in the ascent phase is a significant
development for the Aegis BMD (Ballistic Missile Defense) system,”
according to the chairman of the German Marshall Institute Robert
Jastrow.

“This is the third successful test in the past year and the first in a
series of increasingly more complex tests,” according to Jastrow. With
this success, he said, the Aegis missile defense system “is
appreciably closer to deployment” as it “demonstrates the expansion of
the system’s capabilities.” Two earlier tests successfully occurred
when the target was, instead, intercepted in its descent phase.

A November 21 Defense Department press release says this was the first
in a series of six flight tests “to develop an emergency deployment
sea-based ballistic missile defense against short-to-medium range
ballistic missiles.” It describes this developmental flight test as
the first using “more complex and stressing ballistic missile
engagement scenarios.” A National Journal account of the successful
interception indicates that it was accomplished “without [the
provision of] any external information.”

The next missile intercept test is scheduled for December 11 and it
will be conducted at night.

John Bolton, under secretary of state for arms control and
international security, says the United States has invited Russia to
observe a mid-course interceptor flight test tentatively scheduled for
December. He told the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)
conference in London on November 18 that the U.S.-Russian working
group on missile defense met earlier this month to continue work on
transparency issues. He also said the Russians plan to visit missile
defense facilities at Fort Greeley, Alaska.

MDA is hoping to have a sea-based missile defense system readied for
possible emergency deployment against shorter- and medium-range
missiles by 2005 or so.

MDA Director Lieutenant General Ronald Kadish, who also addressed the
RUSI conference on missile defense November 18, said he anticipates
having “effective defenses against a multiple range of threats” within
about five years.

The United States is looking for mechanisms to offset costs of the
development program. “We have offered potential partners
government-to-government agreements, in-kind agreements — not
necessarily monetary,” he said.

“Or, we could cooperate with entities such as NATO or a construct that
might arise out of this discussion,” Kadish said.

The final communiquÈ issued at the November 21-22 Prague NATO Summit
took note of the importance of missile defense. It indicated that the
members need to address an increasing missile threat to alliance
territory, forces and population centers. It also noted that a new
NATO Missile Defense feasibility study has been launched to look at
options against a range of missile threats. The communiquÈ expressed
support for enhancing the role of NATO’s Weapons of Mass Destruction
Center in aiding the alliance in tackling this threat.

Meanwhile, during a November 21 budget briefing at the Pentagon, Under
Secretary of Defense for Policy Stephen Cambone answered a question
about missile defense spending priorities as part of the upcoming
budget planning guidance. He said Kadish is proposing a number of
programs in the budget, but Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will
review the proposals and make a decision to pursue some or all of
them. “We did not give them (MDA officials) guidance to reduce the
levels” of spending from last year, he added.