Re: Capacity of Ft. Greely ABM site
From: Allen Thomson (thomsona_at_flash.net)
Date: 11/15/04
- Next message: Samuel W. Heywood: "Did Ancient Roman Soldiers Shave?"
- Previous message: Allen Thomson: "Re: Query Forts in 1633 Recife, Brazil"
- In reply to: Allen Thomson: "Capacity of Ft. Greely ABM site"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
To: sci-military-moderated@moderators.isc.org Date: 14 Nov 2004 19:36:44 -0800
Well, I've obviously not been keeping up with this stuff.
Found at http://www.cndyorks.gn.apc.org/yspace/articles/bmd/more_greely_missiles.htm
2 February 2004
Military: More missiles at Greely
By SAM BISHOP
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
http://www.news-miner.com/Stories/0,1413,113~7244~1930458,00.html
Monday, February 02, 2004 - WASHINGTON--The military wants 10
more ballistic missile interceptors at Fort Greely, which would
bring the total at the post to 26, according to budget plans
being presented to Congress this morning.
The Missile Defense Agency, in an overview of its budget
request, said it wants to "initiate acquisition" of the
interceptors starting in the next federal fiscal year, 2005,
which starts Oct. 1.
The multi-billion dollar acquisition and installation process
would continue in the following two fiscal years, according to
the document.
After President Clinton in September 2000 cancelled plans for a
100-interceptor base, the military proceeded with plans to
install just six interceptors at Fort Greely. Then, in December
2002, President Bush said he wanted a basic national missile
defense system working by the fall of 2004 and called for 10
more interceptors at the fort.
If Congress approves Bush's spending plan for next fiscal year,
another 10 interceptors will be on their way, for a total of 26
by sometime late in the decade.
The military wants to spend $53 billion in the next five years
on missile defense of all types. Bush's fiscal 2005 plan,
released today, would spend $9.17 billion, a $1.5 billion
increase from the current year.
More than a third of that increase would go to the system being
installed at Fort Greely, known as the ground-based, midcourse
segment because the interceptors are designed to hit enemy
intercontinental ballistic missiles while they are in space,
the middle part of their trajectory. The 2005 midcourse budget
would rise to $4.41 billion from $3.74 billion under the
president's plan.
"By fielding additional, weapons, sensors and (command and
battle management) tools, we will provide greater protection
for the U.S. homeland, as well as deployed forces, allies and
friends," the budget summary states.
Critics of the midcourse segment say it does little, if any,
of that. They argue that terrorists or rogue nations could
deliver a nuclear, biological or chemical weapon in much
simpler ways than intercontinental missiles, so spending
billions on defense from such missiles is a wasteful strategic
blunder.
Many also question whether the midcourse segment will work.
Some scientists say sensors on the interceptors can't
distinguish warheads from decoys in the weightless,
airless environment. Multiple warheads on an incoming missile
could also overwhelm any defensive system, they say.
The Missile Defense Agency has maintained that it can
overcome such challenges. It has had several successful
interceptor tests and it recently issued a contract worth
hundreds of millions of dollars to develop a way to counter
multiple warheads.
The agency plans to have at least a few interceptors ready to
fire from Fort Greely by this fall--or earlier.
"Our planning date is fall 2004, but we will recommend to the
Secretary of Defense that he place the ballistic missile defense
system on alert as soon as there is a capability to defend
against a single intercontinental ballistic missile," the
budget summary states.
[snip]
In 2002, at the same time the military announced it would
boost Fort Greely's interceptor count to 16, it said it would
place four interceptors at Vandenberg Air Force Base in
California. That will bring the total nationwide to 20.
In budget documents released today, the military said it
wants to keep adding interceptors--not only the 10 more at
Fort Greely but also 10 more at "a potential third site." Some
of the fiscal 2005 money would go to "long lead activity" for
that third site.
The Alaska National Guard activated a battalion to operate
the Fort Greely site on Jan. 22. The battalion, attached to
the Colorado-based 100th Missile Defense Brigade, will
eventually have 110 soldiers.
Fort Greely has room for about 40 interceptors. For safety
reasons, none will be used in tests, Christie noted.
Neither will any interceptors rise from Kodiak Island. Missile
defense officials decided last year that the state-owned launch
site on Kodiak would only be used to send up mock targets.
Three solid fuel motors for the first of those tests arrived
in Kodiak Wednesday night on a military transport from
Huntsville, Ala. The motors will power a rocket to be fired
in March or early April, though no interceptor will seek to
destroy the target. Rather, the target will help the military
test command and control functions at sites across the country,
Lehner told the Kodiak Daily Mirror.
Roads between Kodiak's airport and the Kodiak Launch Complex
25 miles to the south were closed for up to 3 hours early
Thursday morning during the fuel transport, the Mirror reported.
Two other target launches from Kodiak are tentatively scheduled
for this year, according to a state official quoted by the Mirror.
Lehner told the Mirror an interceptor from California or
Kwajalein Atoll in the western Pacific will try to shoot down
at least one of those targets in mid- to late summer.
Washington, D.C., reporter Sam Bishop can be reached at
sbishop@newsminer.com or (202) 662-8721.
- Next message: Samuel W. Heywood: "Did Ancient Roman Soldiers Shave?"
- Previous message: Allen Thomson: "Re: Query Forts in 1633 Recife, Brazil"
- In reply to: Allen Thomson: "Capacity of Ft. Greely ABM site"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ]
Relevant Pages
|
