Search:
MDAA Polski Back To Home

Press Release

9/29/2010 - Confidence of Ballistic Missile Defense System for U.S. Homeland Lacking

WASHINGTON, Sept. 29 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Riki Ellison, Chairman and Founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA), www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org, has released a statement on the shortcomings of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system in its ability to protect the U.S. homeland. Ellison is one of the top lay experts in the field of missile defense in the world. His comments are the following:

"The protection of the United States from the threat of ballistic missile attack is a critical national security priority" was a statement released by Secretary of Defense Robert Gates earlier this year. Secretary Gates' statement was part of the introduction of the Ballistic Missile Defense Review (BMDR), the Department of Defense's current policy on missile defense. That policy lists six priorities, with the number one priority being "The United States will continue to defend the homeland against the threat of limited ballistic missile attack."

Of the $8.24 billion or 1.2% of the 2011 Defense budget requested by the President for the Missile Defense Agency, 16.3% or $1.35 billion of it goes towards the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system that is responsible for protecting our homeland against ballistic missile attacks.

The primary long-range limited ballistic missile threats to the U.S. homeland are seen to be from North Korea and Iran. Both countries continue to test and develop the range and quality of their ballistic missiles. The GMD system would also have the inherent capability of defending the U.S. homeland against future missile proliferation from rogue states as well as an accidental launch from Russia, China, or other countries with nuclear long-range ballistic missile capabilities.

Next month the 30th Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) is scheduled to be placed into a silo at Fort Greely, Alaska. Thirty is the total number of operational, deployed GBIs the Secretary of Defense and the President want in place for the protection of the U.S. homeland against a limited ballistic missile threat. The previous President and the same Secretary of Defense had requested over 50 GBIs for this same mission.

In order for the GMD system to equally protect the U.S. homeland with confidence, including the eastern U.S. from Iran and threats to the east, the Department of Defense must develop, test and deploy an eastern architecture of sensors, radars and forward based interceptors. Also, the GMD system must prove out and test its capability to provide much greater confidence so that there is equal trust in each of the thirty interceptors. There has not been a successful GBI test in almost two years and the new version of the kill vehicle that is carried on most of the GBIs has not yet had a successful intercept test. The GMD system today must shoot three or four interceptors in order to gain high confidence that it will intercept a single incoming ballistic missile threatening our homeland

Additionally, replacement, modernization and upkeep of all the GBIs must be continued to give confidence in the system as these systems age and are stationed in harsh environments. With continued robust testing of the GBI needed and the upcoming termination of the first missile field at Fort Greely, which holds the six oldest GBIs, it would seem that between now and 2030 a lot more than the five GBIs that are being requested by the administration will be needed.

SOURCE Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance

12/12/2012 North Korea Demonstrates the Key Elements of an ICBM
12/12/2012 NORTH KOREA DEMONSTRATES THE KEY ELEMENTS OF AN ICBM
10/25/2012 BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM ENGAGES FIVE TARGETS SIMULTANEOUSLY DURING LARGEST MISSILE DEFENSE
9/6/2012 Groundbreaking Ceremony Held for New MDA Facility at Redstone Arsenal
6/25/2012 Missile Shield to Protect Deli, Mumbai
6/12/2012 Northrop Grumman Completes Critical Design Review for US Army IBCS
5/14/2012 Obama's European Missile is Successful
10/7/2011 Lockheed: Hardest Missile Test A Success
6/16/2011 U.S. Navy Conducts Integration Flight Tests of ATK's Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM)
5/27/2011 U.S. Senate Ensures Missile Defense Systems Are Not Hollow
4/15/2011 Shoot Down Validates Obama's Missile Defense Plan
4/6/2011 U.S. Congress Ignores Cost of Missile Defense in Europe
3/23/2011 Libya Retains Scud Missiles
2/22/2011 Unstable Momentum in Middle East Causes More U.S. Need for Missile Defense
2/17/2011 President Obama Allocates 10.7 Billion for Missile Defense
1/25/2011 Critical Missile Defense Milestone Achieved for Obama's Defense of Europe
1/18/2011 U.S. Missile Defender of the Year Award Winners Announced
1/13/2011 Missile Defense Plays A Significant Role In Secretary Gates' North Korea Concern
12/23/2010 Top Missile Defense Expert Supports START Treaty
12/20/2010 Obama Releases Historic Statement of Support for Missile Defense
12/17/2010 Lack of Priority Causes Obama's Missile Defense to Fail
12/15/2010 Lack of Confidence for U.S. Homeland Missile Defense
12/2/2010 U.S. Missile Defense Is Vital for Restraint of South Korea
11/19/2010 Lisbon Vote to Change NATO Strategic Defense
11/8/2010 Change of Congress will Challenge the President on Missile Defense
10/29/2010 Japanese Missile Intercept Sends Message to North Korea
10/27/2010 US Laser Fails to Switch On
10/18/2010 Turkey to Host U.S. Missile Defense
9/29/2010 Confidence of Ballistic Missile Defense System for U.S. Homeland Lacking
7/29/2010 U.S. finally reacts to North Korean sinking of Korean Ship
6/7/2010 First New Missile Test For U.S. is a Hedge Against Iran
5/19/2010 MDAA Press Release: Top Missile Defense Expert States that SM-3 System is Fully Capable
4/23/2010 U.S. Homeland Vulnerable to Iran Threat in 2015
4/20/2010 U.S. Senate Validates 2015 ICBM Threat To U.S. From Iran
4/7/2010 Ratification of New START Treaty dependent on Missile Defense Interpretation
3/26/2010 Current Policy Changes in Missile Defense Acquisition Put Our Nation at Risk, Says Top Missile Defen
3/9/2010 Obama's Policy Does Not Allow Missile Defense to Be Part of START Talks
2/22/2010 U.S. Reliant on Long-Range Missile Defense
2/10/2010 Romanian Proposal to Host U.S. Missile Defense System Similar to Failed Courtships by Poland and the
2/5/2010 Missile Defense Makes Significant Financial Gains Under Obama
2/1/2010 Missile Defense Intercept Test Failure Requires Bi-Annual Testing to Succeed
11/23/2009 Israel and U.S. Missile Defense Exercise Counters Iran
11/4/2009 President Obama's Defense Team Reverses Decision and Completes Missile Defense Fields in Alaska
10/28/2009 JAPAN DEMONSTRATES ITS NEW 24/7 CAPABILITY TO SHOOT DOWN NORTH KOREAN MISSILES
10/23/2009 THAAD Needed By NATO and the United States to Protect Europe
10/21/2009 IAEA Draft Agreement Circulated at Nuclear Fuel Talks
10/16/2009 JCS Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen Endorses Aegis Combat System
10/7/2009 U.S. Senate Challenges President Obama With Missile Defense Vote
9/23/2009 President Obama's New Missile Defense Plan Does Not Address U.S. Homeland Population Protection
9/18/2009 The Defense of the Eastern and Southeastern United States is at Risk with new Missile Defense Plan
9/9/2009 Missile Defense Fields In Alaska Are In Jeopardy
8/21/2009 Missile Defense Community Shifts Away from European Third Site in Poland and the Czech Republic
7/31/2009 U.S. Demonstrates High Confidence in Intercepting Missiles From North Korea and Iran
7/28/2009 Senator John McCain Goes Along With President Obama's Position on Missile Defense
7/15/2009 U.S. Congress Challenged to Reduce Risk from North Korea and Iran's Long-Range Ballistic Missiles
6/23/2009 Secretary of Defense Reverses His Decision to Defend Hawaii with U.S. Capability
6/22/2009 Secretary of Defense Reverses His Decision to Defend Hawaii with Full U.S. Capability
6/11/2009 President Obama's Solution to Iran Requires Missile Defense
5/26/2009 North Korea's Nuclear Test Forces Obama's Administration to Rethink Cutting Missile Defense
5/14/2009 American Public Supports Missile Defense at Close to 9 Out of Every 10 Americans
5/8/2009 President Obama Outlines His Plan for Missile Defense
5/4/2009 Sea-Based Missile Defense Moves Forward Under President Obama's Administration
4/15/2009 John Rood, former Under Secretary of Arms Control and International Security, State Department, Join
4/14/2009 Senator Daniel Inouye Participates in Ground Breaking of the Kauai Veterans Memorial
4/9/2009 President Obama and Secretary Gates Embrace Missile Defense
4/5/2009 Diplomatic Efforts Fail, North Korea Successful Long Range Missile Has Serious Implications
3/30/2009 U.S. Needs Full Protection Against North Korea
3/20/2009 U.S. Military Pacific Commanders make case for Missile Defense in Testimony
3/3/2009 Missile Defense - Deal or no Deal - with Russia
2/26/2009 Top Testing Official and Director of Missile Defense for the Pentagon Testify That Current System Ca
2/19/2009 Iran Drives Obama Administration to Support and Deploy Missile Defenses
2/9/2009 Former Director of the Missile Defense Agency Joins Board of Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance
2/5/2009 Iran Demonstrates the Key Attributes of an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile in Its Space Launched
2/4/2009 Iran Shows the World That It Can Launch a Satellite Into Space
1/16/2009 President Bush Forgot to Acknowledge His Greatest Achievement
12/30/2008 Lack of Rocket Defense Drives Israel to War with Hamas
12/5/2008 Missile Defense Proves Its Capability to Defend the Homeland of the United States
11/24/2008 Head of U.S. Missile Defense Retires Leaving a Remarkable Legacy of Deploying Missile Defenses
11/13/2008 Iran Follows Russia in Threatening New Administration with Ballistic Missiles
11/3/2008 U.S Navy Independently Validates and Demonstrates its Missile Defense System
10/30/2008 Israel And U.S. Don't Have Deployed Missile Defense Capability to Guarantee 100 Percent Shoot Down o
9/26/2008 'Missile Defense Asserts Itself This September'
9/3/2008 In Light of Russia's Threats, Prime Minster of Poland Further Embeds Missile Defense With the Polish
8/27/2008 Cities of Slupsk, Poland and Huntsville, Alabama Open Partnership Prior to Polish Prime Minster Tusk
8/20/2008 Poland and the US Sign Missile Defense Agreement to Provide NATO and Europe Protection Against Long
8/12/2008 87 Percent of the American Public Support Missile Defense
7/21/2008 US Validates Radar Capabilities Against Ballistic Missiles with Countermeasures and Decoys
7/10/2008 Missile Defense Required to Prevent Military Escalation With Iran
7/8/2008 Czech Republic Agrees to Missile Defense
6/26/2008 29th Missile Defense Intercept Achieved
3/6/2008 Two Issues Remain in the Hands of Prime Minister Tusk to Host Missile
2/25/2008 Czech Republic Close to Consummating Agreement on European Midcourse
2/21/2008 Missile Defense Shoots Down Toxic Satellite Mitigating Risk to Human Life
2/15/2008 Missile Defense Globally Protects Against Toxic Satellite
2/9/2008 Driven by Iran and North Korea, the Department of Defense Allocates 1.59% of Its Budget for Missile
2/1/2008 Polish Foreign Minister Clearly Receptive to Hosting US Missile Defense
12/17/2007 Japan Unilaterally Demonstrates Capability to Destroy North Korean Ballistic Missiles
12/4/2007 First Air-to-Air Missile Defense System Successful in Interception of Boosting Missile
11/7/2007 United States Shows 4th Missile Defense Intercept in 39 days and First to Intercept a Multiple Launc
10/29/2007 Scud Intercept Follows a String of Missile Defense Successes by the United States
10/12/2007 Talks Between Russia and United States Are Vital to Deployment of U.S. European Missile Defense
9/28/2007 Missile Intercept Proves Deployed Missile Defense System Is Capable of Protecting the United States
9/26/2007 Iranian President Ahmadinejad's Defiance of the U.N. Drives the Need for Missile Defense Sites in Eu
9/17/2007 Polls Show More Support for Missile Defense in Poland Than Czech Republic
9/13/2007 Initial foothold of Public Support in Eastern Europe for Missile Defense is Reflected
9/12/2007 Polish Public Supports Missile Defense in Their Country
9/10/2007 Public Survey Shows That the Czech Republic Population Has Mixed Views on Proposal to Base a Missile
8/31/2007 Reagan Memorial to Overview Four Operational Missile Defense Silos in California
8/28/2007 THAAD Intercept Demonstrates Confidence in Missile Defense
8/17/2007 US Military Calls for Missile Defense as a Tool for Global Deterrence
8/17/2007 U.S. Space and Missile Defense Conference - A Report
7/26/2007 Breaking News American Poll Results
7/18/2007 President of Poland Focuses on Missile Defense Throughout Official Visit to United States
7/13/2007 U.S. Senate Votes Overwhelmingly to Support Missile Defense
7/13/2007 The United States Senate Votes 90-5 in Recognition of the Threat from Iran and Moves Forward on Mis
7/3/2007 President Putin Offers Cooperation But Does Not Address Fundamental Need for Missile Defense
6/28/2007 North Korea Defies United Nations Through Firing Ballistic Missiles
6/22/2007 USS Destroyer Decatur is First to Shoot Down a Ballistic Missile
6/22/2007 Airborne Laser Capability One to Two Generations Ahead of the World
6/15/2007 U.S. Resolve on Missile Defense is Demonstrated
6/8/2007 National Security Remains at Stake with Putin's Proposal
6/5/2007 President Putin's Remarks Galvanize Missile Defense Rather Than Divide
6/1/2007 'Cold War is Over.' President Bush Challenges
5/29/2007 Failure of Target Ballistic Missile Causes
5/24/2007 Australia Displays Support for Missile Defense
5/17/2007 House of Representatives Rejects Armed Service Committee and Votes 397
5/7/2007 Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance Reviews Missile Defense Budget Cuts
4/27/2007 Simultaneous Missile Intercepts from USS Lake Erie Makes Strong Impression
4/12/2007 U.S. Senate Focuses on European Missile Site and Sheds New Light on Threat From Iran
4/6/2007 Successful Intercept Test of the THAAD Missile System
3/28/2007 European Site Takes Center Stage as Practicality Drives Missile Defense in Congress
3/14/2007 Democratic Chairwoman Ellen Tauscher and Representative Silvestre Reyes
2/26/2007 Iran Ballistic Missiles Pose a Direct Threat to Europe
2/21/2007 Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance Selects Advisory Board Comprised of Military Experts and Community
2/14/2007 Missile Defense Receives Validation with the Dismantling of North Korea's Nuclear Program
2/12/2007 President Putin's Remarks on Missile Defense Seen as Intimidation
1/31/2007 Admiral William Fallon, Nominee for Central Command States Missile Defense Needed for Persian Gulf &
1/26/2007 Fifth Successful Missile Defense Test in the Past Six Months Sends a Clear Message to Iran and North
1/19/2007 Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance President Riki Ellison States That China Encourages World-Wide Bal
11/27/2006 Missile Defense Endorsed as a Diplomatic Tool by President Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Abe
10/26/2006 Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance Calls for Missile Defense Protection for U.S. Troops Serving in th
10/14/2006 Elimination of Nuclear Weapons and Missile Embargo Are Keys to UN Security Council Against North Kor
10/11/2006 Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance Says Missile Defense Is the Answer to the Threat Posed by Rogue Na
10/9/2006 Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance says North Korea Demonstrates Mankind's Most Terrifying and Devast
10/4/2006 North Korea's Foreign Minister Says Conducting Nuclear Test of Nuclear Weapons "Will Serve for Supre
10/2/2006 New Missile Defense Budget Sends a Wake Up Call to Proliferators of Ballistic Missiles
9/18/2006 Twenty-Six Nations Begin the Building of Missile Defense to Defend Europe
9/1/2006 Successful Missile Defense Flight Spans the Globe and Sends Strong Messages to Friends and Foes
8/27/2006 Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld Visit to Fort Greely, Alaska
8/10/2006 MDAA Calls for Deployment of 10 Additional Long-Range GBI Missiles at Vandenber AFB to Protect Vulne
7/19/2006 Riki Ellison, President of Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, Challenges Republican House Approprati
7/12/2006 First Person Account of Missile Test at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico
7/6/2006 MDAA President Riki Ellison Disagrees with Washington Post Editorial Calling for a Pre-Emptive Strik
7/5/2006 MDAA President Riki Ellison Calls for Expeditious Development of Missile Defense Systems Due to Nort
6/29/2006 Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance Praises Japan's Decision to Deploy Missile Defense Systems
6/22/2006 Aegis Test Successful off Coast of Hawaii Reports Missile Defense Agency
6/19/2006 Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance Sounds Alert on North Korea's Testing of Long Range Missile System
6/8/2006 Missile Defense Polls Show Support in Oregon and Washington
3/21/2006 New Poll Shows New Yorkers Support Missile Defense
3/9/2006 Scholarship and Internship awarded in honor of a Japanese-American Sea-Based Missile Defense Partner
4/12/2005 Nationwide poll reveals 79% of the American public supports a missile defense system
7/23/2004 Ellison Congratulates the Installation of the First Ground-Based Missile Interceptor at Fort Greely,
7/22/2004 Statewide Poll Reveals that 83 Percent of Floridians Want Missile Defense Protection
5/26/2004 Pennsylvanians Proudly Support Development of a National Missile Defense System
5/26/2004 PA Voters Want Missile Defense
1/30/2004 South Carolina House of Representatives: SC Supports a Strong National Defense
1/13/2004 NH Voters Want Candidates Who Support Missile Defense
1/12/2004 Survey: NH Voters Want Missile Defense