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Links to Air and Missile Defense Articles From News Media Websites.

Wednesday, 1 December 2010

Former Fort Bliss Leader
Up for Promotion
(Las Cruces Sun-News/El Paso Times) President Barack Obama has nominated former Fort Bliss Commander, Major General Howard Bromberg for promotion to the rank of lieutenant general. He was also nominated for the post of deputy commanding general and chief of staff for U.S. Army Forces Command at Fort McPherson, Georgia.

Russia's Putin Warns West Over Missile Defense: Report
(Reuters) Putin said missile threats against Europe must be tackled jointly -- a reference to an agreement reached at a November 20 Russia-NATO summit to cooperate on missile defense.

Putin Warns U.S. of Potential
Russian Nuclear Buildup
(Bloomberg) Russia will deploy strike forces and nuclear technology against “new threats” posed by US missile-defense plans in Europe unless the North Atlantic Treaty ...

Medvedev Warns Of Arms Race
In Absence Of Russia-NATO
Defense Deal
(AHN - All Headline News) Russian President Dmitry Medvedev warned that Europe could end up in a new arms race in the following decade if Moscow fails to reach an accord on missile defense cooperation with the West.

Missile Defense Cooperation
with the Russian Federation
(US Department of State) The Administration has repeatedly communicated to the Russian Government at the highest levels that the United States will not agree to any limitations or constraints on U.S. ballistic missile defenses, and that the United States intends to continue improving and deploying BMD systems to defend the U.S. against limited missile launches, and to defend our deployed forces, allies, and partners against regional threats.

Putin Warns West Over
Missile Shield
(Deutsche Welle) Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has warned that Moscow will build up its nuclear forces if it is left out of Western missile defense plans.

Air Defense Training Operation Moving to Lawton
(Houston Chronicle/The Associated Press) A subsidiary of defense contractor Raytheon is moving an air defense missile training support operation from El Paso, Texas, to Lawton, OK. The program's primary function is to train Army personnel on upgrades to Patriot air and missile defense system equipment operation and maintenance.

Russia Will Deploy Nukes If
Shut Out Of Missile Defense
(MyStateline.com) Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is warning NATO that a combative new arms race will emerge if the West ignores Russia's proposals concerning missile defence installations.

NATO's New Strategic Mission
to Shore up Cyber Security,
Flournoy Said
(ExecutiveGov) To adapt NATO's mission to “new threats,” the organization added missile defense and cyber security provisions to the organization's strategic concept at its annual summit in Lisbon, Portugal.

Army Space and Missile Defense Command to Honor Late Commander
(al.com - Blog) As commander of Redstone Arsenal and, later, of the Army Space and Missile Defense/Army Forces Strategic Command, the late Lieutenant General Larry J. Dodgen honed a reputation for visionary leadership, of always thinking of soldiers first, of "leading from the front." Today, Dodgen's time at SMDC will be memorialized with the dedication of a conference room in his honor in the command's headquarters on the arsenal.

Official Briefs Congress on Missile Defense Progress
(Department of Defense) A hallmark of the four-phase US approach to European missile defense is its ability to adjust to the unpredictable, a senior Defense Department official told Congress today.

The Cable: Kyl Demands More Information on Missile Defense
as START Debate Looms
(Foreign Policy) "As you know, the ballistic missile defense program touches some of our country's most sensitive technology, collection assets and real time intelligence," wrote Senate Majority Whip Jon Kyl (R-AZ), along with Senators James Risch (R-ID) and Mark Kirk (R-IL). "We therefore request detailed responses to the following questions, before the administration enters into any agreement or joint study related to U.S. missile defenses [with Russia]."

Eizenkot: Iron Dome Meant to Protect IDF Bases Not Citizens
(Jerusalem Post) The Iron Dome and Arrow missile defense systems are meant to protect IDF bases and the army's ability to attack, not necessarily to protect citizens, IDF OC Northern Command Major General Gadi Eizenkot said at a lecture at Haifa University on Tuesday.

Air Defense Training Operation Moving to Lawton
(KFSM) A subsidiary of defense contractor Raytheon is moving an air defense missile training support operation from El Paso, Texas, to Lawton. The program's primary function is to train Army personnel on upgrades to the Patriot air and missile defense system equipment operation and maintenance.

DFACs Spread Thanksgiving Spirit
(DVIDS) The 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery's DFAC at Rhine Ordnance Barracks won best decorated cake in a competition for the Commander’s Trophy during the 21st Theater Sustainment Command competition.

Veteran Accused of
Stalking Protesters
(Marion County Record) Retired Army Sergeant Ryan J. Newell, 26, formerly assigned to A Battery, 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery, was charged Thursday with stalking anti-veteran protestors, impersonating a law enforcement officer and three counts of illegally using weapons.

Iran's Military Looks to the
Sky as New Priority
(The Associated Press) During five days of military exercises in November, Iran claimed it successfully tested an air defense missile battery built from a previously obtained ...

Russia to Completely Re-Arm Anti-Aircraft Defense by 2020
(RT) Russia will completely re-arm its air defense forces by 2020 and the process will start as soon as next year, a military official has said.

NORAD is Ready to Track
Santa's Flight
(EVLiving) For the 55th consecutive year, the men and women of the North American Aerospace Defense Command are getting ready to track Santa! The Tracks Santa website, http://www.noradsanta.org/, went live today and features holiday games and activities that change daily. The NORAD Tracks Santa program began in 1955 after a phone call was made to the Continental Air Defense Command Operations Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Greta Van Susteren's "On the Record" Mark Kirk Interview
(Chicago Sun-Times - Blog) Kirk: I was concerned that at the Lisbon summit there was a proposal that came forward to include the Russians in the missile defense of the United States. I'm very concerned about such a proposal. They're providing nuclear material and upgrade to the Bushehr reactor in Iran. Other air defense equipment sold to them. Russia invaded Georgia. Not exactly a reliable party in the most sensitive defense program of the United States.

Naval Exercise Wraps Up In
South Korea
(Department of Defense) ... readiness and interoperability training covering a broad spectrum of operations, from surface and anti-submarine warfare to air defense, Cloyd reported.

Thursday, 2 December 2010

Lockheed Fixes Safety-Switch Flaw That Delayed Missile Contract
(Bloomberg) Lockheed Martin Corp. has fixed a flawed safety switch that delayed delivery of the first 24 newest interceptor missiles and hindered a contract for the company to build more … The U.S. Missile Defense Agency said in July that the missiles couldn’t be assembled until repairs were made to the mechanism, intended to prevent accidental launches.

Japan, US Start Largest Ever Military Drills Amid Korean Tensions
(RIA Novosti) The agenda of the exercises, which will continue until December 10, include integrated air and missile defense, base security, close-air support, ... security, close-air support, ...defense, base security, close-air support, ...

India Bolstering Missile Power
(The Diplomat) For a while now, Indian defense scientists have been working hard on developing missile systems that they hope will be game changers in any future military conflict. The Agni series is the standard-bearer of this Indian effort.

Missile Defense Systems Won't Protect Israel
(Ha'aretz) Preparing for missile and rocket threat via defensive systems is utterly ineffective - even supporters of these systems do not claim that after firing its first 200 weapons at Israel, the enemy will desist from using its abundant remaining supply of rockets and missiles.

Wikileaks Exposes Missile Defense 'Hundreds of Missiles' Capability
(Blogcritics.org - Blog) The once in a lifetime look behind the curtains of international diplomacy provided by Wikileaks and their inside source is proving to be highly volatile for international relations. Even though to date only a few of the uncovered cables come from and went to the US embassy in Moscow they have provided a deeper understanding of the new ‘Phased – Adaptive Approach’ to missile defense.

Australia Worried Over
Missile Delays
(UPI.com) Australia has placed its acquisition of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles on the "projects of concern" list because of procurement delays.

Missile Defense:
The Myth of Layering
(All Things Nuclear) The midcourse Ground-based Missile Defense (GMD) system the United States has deployed in Alaska and California would attempt to intercept missile warheads above the atmosphere. Such “exoatmospheric” defenses are susceptible to a range of countermeasures, such as decoys, that can deny the defense the information it needs to intercept a warhead. Moreover, such countermeasures can be built with technologies that the U.S. intelligence community says are within the reach of any country that can build a long-range missile.

U.S. Missile Defense Is Vital
for Restraint of South Korea
(PR Newswire) Riki Ellison, Chairman and Founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA), has been observing the current situation involving North and South Korea which developed last week and has offered his comments. Ellison is one of the foremost experts in the field of missile defense in the world.

AIR DEFENSE:
Aster Chases Aegis And Patriot
(Strategy Page) France has successfully tested an Aster 30 anti-aircraft missile shooting down a SCUD class (600 kilometer range) ballistic missile.

Lockheed Martin Announces
Brad Hicks Joins Mission
Systems and Sensors Business
(PR Newswire) Hicks will serve as vice president of radar programs under MS2's Radar Systems line of business. "Brad brings extensive air and missile defense system knowledge and expertise to Lockheed Martin," said Carl Bannar, vice president of Radar Systems. "His appointment recognizes the importance of leveraging our technology investments across our radar portfolio as we provide our customers with the most reliable, affordable solutions for their mission requirements."

Keen Sword Exercise
Sharpens US-Japan Alliance
(Edwards Air Force Base) About 10,500 U.S. service members and their Japan Self Defense Force counterparts are participating in exercise Keen Sword 2011, December 3rd through the 10th, on military installations throughout mainland Japan, Okinawa and in the water surrounding Japan. Keen Sword is a regularly-scheduled exercise designed to strengthen U.S. and Japanese military interoperability and meet mutual defense objectives, according to exercise planners. Training events include integrated air and missile defense, base security and force protection, close-air support, live-fire training, maritime defense and interdiction, and search and rescue.

Friday, 3 December 2010

Wikileaks Reveal Greater
Need For Missile Defenses
(defpro) For example, deployments of the US-built Theater High-Altitude Area Defense system could provide additional intercept capability against shorter-range ballistic missiles.

Lockheed Martin-Raytheon Team
To For Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Contract
(RTT News) The Lockheed Martin-Raytheon team competing for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Development and Sustainment Contract has received the final request proposal from the Missile Defense Agency. The company noted that the contract will continue development, manufacturing, test, training, operations support and sustainment support of the GMD element of the Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) system, which protects the nation, our allies and friends against limited ballistic missile attack.

West Point's Texas Bowl Game Site Familiar Area For Many Soldiers
(Bleacher Report) There was a lot of excited and happy officers, cadets and soldiers at West Point this week as Army announced it had accepted a bid to play in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl in Dallas, Texas on December 30. Playing in Texas will provide attendance opportunities for soldiers from the large Army bases in Texas such as Fort Hood, Fort Bliss, and Fort Sam Houston and the home of the Field Artillery just 200 miles away at Ft. Sill in Oklahoma.

South Korean Threatens to Bomb; Obama Must Send in the Raptors
(The American - Blog) North Korea has a powerful air defense system. It boasts old, but effective surface-to-air missile systems, including one, the SA-5, that can range deep into South Korean territory.

WSMR Commander:
Projects on the Way
(Las Cruces Sun-News) White Sands Missile Range's Commander, Brigadier General John Regan, spoke at the Greater Las Cruces Chamber of Commerce's annual Military Update Luncheon. He said there are several projects headed the facility's way, including testing for the Medium Extended Air Defense System, known as MEADS. Slated to start in 2012, the program will be a coordinated effort between the United States, Germany and Italy to replace the Patriot Missile Air Defense System with the Hawk and Hercules missile systems. (???)

George Washington Strike Group Prepares to Begin Keen Sword 2010
(U.S. 7th Fleet) Training events during Keen Sword 2010 will include integrated air and missile defense, base security and force protection, search and rescue, ...

Provide For The Missile Defense
(Investor's Business Daily) National Security: Gazing out into the unpredictable far future, humanity has but one reliable weapon available against nuclear attack: missile defense.

Lockheed Martin-Raytheon Team Will Apply Proven Experience in Bidding for Ground-Based Midcourse
Defense Contract
(Bradenton Herald) "This team is prepared and enthusiastic about our offer to support this critical national asset," said Mathew J. Joyce, GMD vice president and program manager, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company.  "Backed by proven performance and domain expertise, our bid will assure a smooth transition.  The entire Lockheed Martin-Raytheon team is dedicated to a transparent partnership with the MDA and GMD program office."

St. Pete Man Used Army to Escape Troubled Childhood, But Couldn't Escape the Pills 
(Tampabay.com) Jimmy Nunley served with Delta Battery, 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery, 1st Cavalry Division.

United States Pressed Turkey To Host Missile Defense Radar
(Space News) The United States has told Turkey that a decision not to host the radar is essentially a decision to opt out of missile defense coverage, based on the physics and geometry of the missile defense shield, the ...

Israeli Argues Missile Threat Makes Civil Defense a New Priority
(World Tribune) Former Israel Missile Defense Organization director Uzi Rubin said the military's doctrine envisioned massive enemy missile attacks on Israeli cities and towns.

Guest Blogger: What Are New START's Missile Defense Promises Worth?
(Heritage.org - Blog) Following a recent meeting with the President, some of our pro-ballistic missile defense (BMD) Senators expressed public optimism that ratification of New START still might be possible in the lame duck session.

Saturday, 4 December 2010

Israeli Argues Missile Threat Makes Civil Defense a New Priority
(World Tribune) Former Israel Missile Defense Organization director Uzi Rubin said the military's doctrine envisioned massive enemy missile attacks on Israeli cities and towns.

Guest Blogger: What Are New START's Missile Defense Promises Worth?
(Heritage.org - Blog) Following a recent meeting with the President, some of our pro-ballistic missile defense (BMD) Senators expressed public optimism that ratification of New START still might be possible in the lame duck session.

Bravos and a Buffalo Chip to Hand Out
(Jamestown Sun) Bravo to the news that about 75 soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment of the North Dakota National Guard are expected to be home for Christmas after a year deployment in Afghanistan.

Sunday, 5 December 2010

About 70 ND Guard Members Back from Deployment
(Jamestown Sun) About 70 North Dakota National Guard soldiers have returned to the United States after yearlong deployments overseas. A release from the Guard says the soldiers, who are part of the 1-188th Air Defense Artillery Battalion based in Bismarck, arrived at Fort Hood in Texas on Sunday. They're expected back in North Dakota within a week.

North Dakota Soldiers Back on US Soil from Iraq and Afghanistan
(In-Forum) The Grand Forks-based 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment mobilized in three groups in November 2009. With their return, the number of North Dakota Guardsmen serving overseas has reached a low not seen since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the Guard said in a news release.

UAE Looks to Upgrade Missile Defense Systems
(Reuters-Canada) - The United Arab Emirates is planning to upgrade its missile defense systems and integrate them regionally with other Gulf Arab states to shore up its defenses, top military officials said on Sunday. (Also see article at WXEL)
 
US Missile Defense Is Vital for Restraint of South Korea
(PR-USA.net) US Missile Defense Is Vital for Restraint of South Korea (PR-USA.net) "It is with the belief in our nation's war fighters in the U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) and the U.S. Korea Command (KORCOM), that the deployment of missile defense capability in South Korea, in the shape of the 35th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and its Patriot batteries and the Aegis BMD capable ships of the 7th Fleet deployed around the Korean Peninsula, continues to deter North Korean use or threat of their ballistic missiles during this time of tension. While there is a great need for more missile defense assets in the region, some satisfaction can be taken in the decisions that have been made to have a limited missile defense capability in place in and around Korea; rather than having no defense against the large ballistic missile force of North Korea. This includes South Korea's decision to have its own Patriot Fire Units deployed," said Riki Ellison, Chairman and Founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, while summing up his observations concerning the attacks.

Cape Played Role in Nuclear Defense
(Cape Cod Times - Subscription) In December 1957, the U.S. Air Force announced plans to locate a Boeing and Michigan Aeronautical Research Center missile site, known as a BOMARC, at Otis Air Force Base. It was no secret that the 6½-ton surface-to-air missiles had nuclear capabilities, but there was little uproar among residents who apparently feared an enemy attack more than the threat of radiation.

 Monday, 6 December 2010

Soldiers Arrive Home
(KXNet.com) The soldiers, who are part of the First-One Hundred-88th Air Defense Artillery Battalion based in Bismarck, arrived at Fort Hood in Texas today.

Russia Warns Against Missile-Interceptors in the Barents Sea
(Barents Observer) Speaking at a press-conference in Moscow, Russia’s NATO envoy Dmitri Rogozin said there are not any missile threats in northern Europe, so there is no need for any anti-missile systems there, RIA Novosti reports. Quoted by the Associated Press, Rogozin underlines that Russia won’t accept NATO’s proposed cooperation on European missile defense if the Western Alliance deploys missiles in Poland, the Baltic- or the Barents Sea.

Vice President Biden Rewrites History - To Our and Our Allies' Peril
(Family Security Matters) Why does the new START treaty hang in the balance? In part, because missile defense advocates, who spent years pressing the US to adopt such weapons, are now ridiculed as having pushed the wrong systems with the wrong countries -- even though all currently planned defenses are precisely those first acquired and deployed by these same missile defense advocates. What has been left out of the Vice President's retelling of history is that the European system, killed by this administration, was planned to protect all of Europe and America -- not from Iranian short- and medium-range missiles but from long-range Iranian missiles. The argument from missile defense critics, including from then-Senator Biden and many of his colleagues, was that Iran was not building such missiles. Therefore, they said, there was no need to build a defense as had been planned for Poland, along with complimentary radar for the Czech Republic.

BMD Field Set to Expand in Coming Years
(NavyTimes.com) With ballistic-missile-defense-capable ships set to guard Europe from missile strikes starting next year and European bases in the works, the Navy’s role in BMD is growing, and with it the need for specialized officers.

US, Japan Exercise Sends Message of Cooperation to North Korea
(Stars and Stripes) US military officials have said the relocation of Japan's Air Defense Command from nearby Fuchu to Yokota will enhance cooperation on the US-Japan missile defense programs. While all parties involved say the U.S.-Japan training and the South Korea artillery fire were planned well before North Korea’s Nov. 23 artillery strike that killed four on Yeonpyeong island, there is a strong message directed toward the North: Any further provocations from North Korea could be met with serious resistance from the three allies.

Medvedev Says NATO Must Involve Russia In Missile Defense
(RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) Last month, NATO and Moscow agreed to cooperate on missile defense and other security issues in what they hailed as a "historic step" in setting aside past ...

NATO's Missile "Shield" Debated by Security & Defense MEPs
(European Parliament - Press Release) The US plans for missile defense date back to the Reagan Administration and the still born "Star Wars" program. The plans were revived as a missile defense shield under the George W. Bush's time in office. A recent NATO summit in Lisbon pledged the 28 member organization to push ahead with a missile defense capability and invited Russia to take part.

U.S. And NATO Allies Escalate Military Buildup Against Iran
(OpEdNews) Earlier this year Washington announced the sale of land-based interceptor missiles to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. It has supplied both Patriot Advanced Capability-3 and Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile systems to Gulf Cooperation Council states - Patriot missiles to Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia and a THAAD missile shield system to the United Arab Emirates - and has deployed sea-based Standard Missile-3 interceptors in the Gulf on Aegis class warships.

UAE Plans to Enhance Missile Defenses
(Global Security Newswire/NTI) The United Arab Emirates appears set to purchase the Lockheed Martin Corp.-developed Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system. That arms deal could go through early next year, a defense insider said yesterday. "Other Gulf states are also thinking about THAAD," the source said.

Israelis Brace for Missile Firestorm
(UPI.com) ... threat of missile attacks even as the country invests heavily in developing air-defense systems experts say cannot provide adequate protection.

Turkey president: Israel Would be Excluded from NATO Missile Defense Network
(World Tribune) Turkish President Abdullah Gul said Ankara has ensured that Israel would not be given access to a proposed NATO missile defense network, which would include radars and other assets in Turkey.

US Embassy Cables: Pentagon Tells Warsaw Missile Shield Adaptable to “Hypothetical” Threats
(The Guardian) The discussion on the first day of the HLDG focused on providing more details for U.S. Missile Defense plans and a prospective Polish role in the new concept as well as additional aspects for the deployment of a U.S. Patriot battery to Poland for training and exercises.

US Embassy Cables: Poland Wanted Operational Patriot Missiles, Not 'Potted Plants'
(The Guardian) For example, when told last autumn that the Patriots would not be integrated -- at least initially -- into the Polish air defense system, Deputy Defense Minister Komorowski angrily responded that Poland expected to have operational missiles, not "potted plants." Merited or no, our Polish interlocutors believe: 1) (assuming successful SoFA talks) Patriots will start rotating to Poland this year regardless of the outcome of Washington's review of the Missile Defense program; 2) the battery will have some undefined "operational capability;" 3) the garrison remaining in Poland after 2012 will have the same size and composition as the uniformed elements that will staff the rotations; and 4) access to Patriot equipment for training will not be substantially impeded by provisions of the Export Control Act.

 Get Politics Alerts
(Huffington Post) Republican Senators such as Jon Kyl (AZ) and Scott Brown (MA) have been withholding support for the ...

New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty
(New START) Signed by President Obama and Russian President Medvedev on April 8, the treaty has not yet been ratified by the required two-thirds majority of the U.S. Senate. Senator Kyl and others have indicated that they are concerned about potential restrictions on missile defense and modernization of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. These are strange objections for two reasons.

Tuesday, 7 December 2010

Report: Raytheon Raked in $4.58B in Federal Contracts
(Eagle Tribune) Much of the work done at the locations has to do with the Patriot missile system, "the world's most advanced air and missile defense system," according to ...

LEADERSHIP: Arabs Throw Money At The Iranian Threat
(Strategy Page) Two years ago the UAE (United Arab Emirates) ordered $7 billion worth of American THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) anti-missile systems to protect itself against the growing arsenal of Iranian ballistic missiles.

MBDA Relies on Hi-tech Transfer to Win Turkish Defense Deal
(Hurriyet Daily News) Francesco Diella, commander of Italy's Air Defense Artillery Command in Sabaudia, said his unit was content with the performance of the SAMP/T system.

Poland Asked US About Missile Shield Uses, Cables Show
(Hurriyet Daily News) During the administration of former U.S. president George W. Bush, Poland agreed to take part in a proposed missile defense system, a scheme that sparked a crisis between the U.S. and Russia.  U.S. President Barack Obama has abandoned the project and a more modest system is being developed, with the Russians invited to take part.

ASK JUNE
(Motley Fool) June Lantz Walbert is a Certified Financial Planner practitioner with USAA Financial Planning Services. She is also a lieu­tenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve with 20 years of service. Walbert's basic branch is Air Defense Artillery, and she writes a weekly advice column, "Ask June" on military.com.

Emirates Seek Gulf-Wide Missile Shield
(UPI.com) In September, the US Congress cleared the sale of three Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile systems produced by Lockheed Martin Space Systems. Other key contractors are Boeing, Raytheon and Honeywell.

US Lawmakers Urge Delay
on START Vote
(AFP) A group of US House Republicans urged the US Senate Tuesday to delay action on a landmark treaty with Russia until next year, citing worries about missile defense and upkeep of the US atomic arsenal.

Keen Sword to the 'Rescue'
(Sourdough Sentinel) Significant training events during Keen Sword 2011 include search and rescue as well as integrated air and missile defense, base security and force ...

Wednesday, 8 December 2010

Third-Generation Anti-Ship Missile Defense System Switched from Open Source Operating System RTOS
(Military & Aerospace Electronics) Needing real-time determinism and more efficient debug capability for their third generation anti-ship missile defense system, engineers at CEA in Canberra, Australia, switched from an open source real-time operating system (RTOS) to the INTEGRITY RTOS from Green Hills Software in Santa Barbara, Calif.

Superheroes Without a Superpower
(The Moscow Times) Only two weeks after the initial Lisbon euphoria, both President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have returned to their old habit of provoking NATO and the United States. In his state-of-the-nation address last week, Medvedev threatened a “new arms race” if the West remained deaf to Russia’s proposal for a “sectoral” missile defense system.

Broad Protection Expected for NATO Missile Shield
(Global Security Newswire/NTI) Russia has long opposed US missile defense plans, seeing in them a scheme to undermine Moscow's nuclear deterrent. Last month, the Kremlin agreed to ...

US Aircraft Slated for Poland Rotations, Polish Defense Minister Says
(Stars and Stripes) Soldiers from the Kaiserslautern-based 5th Battalion, 7th Air Defense Artillery work just 40 miles from the Russian border. The emphasis on sending missile defense trainers and aircraft for joint exercises instead of permanently assigning troops is an attempt to keep an ally happy while not angering Russia, which has long been sensitive about a U.S. presence in the region, Stanilko said.

Russia, Kazakhstan Eye Missile Warning System Work: Sources
(Reuters) Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said failure to include Russia on the alliance's missile defense plans would trigger a new arms race.

Poland Vexed by US Reversal on Missile Interceptors, Cable Says
(Global Security Newswire/NTI) The US failure to deploy Patriot missile interceptors to Poland greatly frustrated Polish officials who were expecting the systems and anticipating a quick boost to their defensive abilities, the Associated Press reported yesterday.

Russia to Consolidate Missile, Air Defenses
(Global Security Newswire/NTI) Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has directed that the nation's air and missile defense systems be integrated prior to next December, RIA Novosti reported.

Obama Commits to Base Missile Interceptors in Poland
(Xinhua) President Barack Obama on Wednesday committed the United States to basing land-based SM-3 interceptors in Poland in the 2018 timeframe as part of its NATO- wide missile defense system. The Phased Adaptive Approach to European missile defense, unveiled by Obama in September 2009 to replace the Bush-era missile defense shield program in the Czech Republic and Poland, will be deployed in four stages from next year until 2020 and would be capable of intercepting long-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Under the plan, U.S. interceptor missiles and radar will be stationed in Europe, for which NATO member states have to invest 200 million euros (280 million dollars) to link their existing anti-missile systems to the U.S. system.

Soldiers Returning to Grand Forks
(Grand Forks Herald) Soldiers with the Grand Forks-based 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment will arrive back in North Dakota tonight.

ND Guard Soldiers Returning
to State Today
(Jamestown Sun) Transportation was arranged this afternoon for a group of North Dakota National Guardsmen returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq. Soldiers with the 1st Battalion, 188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment arrived in Fort Hood, Texas, on Sunday and have been working through the demobilization process there. They will arrive in North Dakota later today, concluding their yearlong mobilization.

North Dakota Soldiers Back from Wartime Missions
(DVIDS) “We are so pleased to safely welcome home the soldiers of the 1-188th Air Defense Artillery Regiment,” said North Dakota Govenor Jack Dalrymple. “They did an outstanding job in Iraq and Afghanistan, and we are proud of all they have accomplished on behalf of our state and nation.

Defense Department Leaders Urge Treaty Ratification
(DVIDS) “The senior leaders of the military understand the treaty well, because DOD focused in detail on what we wanted from the treaty as we conducted the nuclear posture review,”  said James N. Miller, Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. “The new treaty strengthens strategic stability with Russia, provides the United States flexibility to retain and modernize robust missile delivery systems, and advances U.S. security interests including nonproliferation,” he continued.

Kazakhstan, Russia Look to Missile Defense Cooperation
(Global Security Newswire/NTI) Kazakhstan appears set to purchase Russian S-300 air-defense technology and the two nations are considering collaborating on a ballistic missile early warning system, Reuters reported.

US Hails Turkey's 'Constructive' Role at NATO, OSCE Summits
(Today's Zaman) Gordon noted that issues such as the location of the ballistic missile defense system's powerful X-band radars will be discussed by allies in the coming months.

Thursday, 9 December 2010

US House of Reps Approves $200m for Iron Dome Deployment
(Jerusalem Post) The US House of Representatives Wednesday voted to approve over $200 million to help the deployment of the Iron Dome missile defense system in Israel, AFP reported. Speaking of the 212-206 vote, Democratic Representative Steve Rothman said, "This is only the latest example that when it comes to defense, military, and intelligence cooperation, the relationship between the US and Israel has never been stronger," according to the report.

Russia to Give S-300 Anti-Missiles to Kazakhstan
(RT) Russia is set to supply Kazakhstan with S-300 systems as part of the development of joint regional air and missile defense.  

Gates Visits United Arab Emirates
(DVIDS) "And so, in integrated air and missile defense, shared early warning, maritime task forces [and] counterterrorism cooperation, the idea is to leverage the ...

Yemen, Iran Subject of Gates'
Talks in UAE
(The Associated Press) ... security worries about Iran, the terror threat in Yemen and the UAE's continuing interest in developing a more sophisticated missile defense system.

Greedy Algorithms Best for Multiple Targets
(EurekAlert - Press Release) What algorithms should an air defense system work with? Particle swarm algorithms if there are ten targets to be hit. If there are more than ten targets, greedy algorithms work best. These findings are presented by researcher Fredrik Johansson at the Informatics Research Centre, University of Skövde, in Sweden.

House Approves Funding Bill Including Iron Dome Missile System
(Jewish Telegraphic Agency) The US House of Representatives included missile defense assistance for Israel in a massive funding ...

Northrop Grumman and Raytheon Test ICBM Interloper ID'd + Tracked (Satellites)
(SatNews) The Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STSS) Demonstration program satellites, built by Northrop Grumman Corporation and Raytheon Company, detected the test launch of a Minuteman III Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) September 17 and tracked it through the boost and post-boost phases for the first time.

Australian Lawmakers Misled on Antimissile Stance, Dispatch Indicates
(Global Security Newswire/NTI) Language in a 2009 Australian defense white paper was seemingly crafted to mislead left-leaning members of the nation's ruling Labor Party regarding the government's stance on missile defense collaboration with the United States, the Sydney Morning Herald reported. The article is based on U.S. diplomatic dispatches made public by the transparency organization WikiLeaks. The document's coordinator, former Australian Defense Department Deputy Secretary Mike Pezzullo was quoted in a June 2009 cable as saying to U.S. Embassy personnel that language in the white paper "in reality would allow the GOA (government of Australia) to continue its missile defense research and development cooperation with the United States." Pezzullo also "described the ALP left wing as still wedded to the '1980s anti-Star Wars missile defense' concept and said that the first paragraph in the missile defense section of the paper was a nod to this powerful faction of the party,'' according to the cable.

And You Think Your Cell Phone Bill Is High
(Tapped - Blog) The Army is currently testing phones, according to spokeswoman Annie Gammell. Yesterday, in fact, soldiers at Fort Bliss in Texas were testing a phone and system built by Monax, a division of Lockheed Martin that's trying to get into the tactical 3G market. The Army is also looking at phones your average consumer would be familiar with, like the iPhone or phones on the Android system.

France's Silent Strategic Revolution
(Huffington Post - Blog) Even more fundamentally, however, Paris feared that missile defense would undermine its nuclear posture. The French position was clear.

Letter: Kyl's Treaty Opposition Jeopardizes Our Safety
(Prescott Daily Courier) Our own Arizona senator, Jon Kyl, plans to torpedo passage of the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty when passage of this treaty would help make us all safer. Thwarting passage will likely cause less cooperation from Russia on sanctions against Iran, on securing loose nukes and on passage through Russia of weaponry needed by our forces in Afghanistan.

Ryukyu Warrior: Improving Readiness
(Marines.mil) Exercise Ryukyu Warrior is a joint unit-level training event conducted locally between elements of 1st MAW, 3rd Marine Division, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, III Marine Expeditionary Force, U.S. Air Force’s 18th Wing, U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa and U.S. Army 1-1 Air Defense Artillery Battalion.

Russia Reportedly To Supply Advanced Air-Defense Systems To Kazakhstan
(RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty) Kazakhstan says Russia will soon supply it with S-300 missile systems as part of a plan to create a regional air-defense system.

Friday, 10 December 2010

House OKs Administration Earmark for Israel's 'Iron Dome'
(National Journal) Tucked into a massive continuing resolution approved by the House on Wednesday is an extra $205 million for an Israeli missile defense ...

Digest - UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Gates stresses threats in Iran and Yemen
(Washington Post) In a meeting with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Gates was expected to discuss ongoing regional security worries about Iran, the terrorism threat in Yemen and the United Arab Emirates' interest in developing a more sophisticated missile defense system.
 
Army Satellite Success With SpaceX (Launch)
(SatNews) The Army's first satellite in more than 50 years piggybacked into low earth orbit Wednesday as part of SpaceX's launch of its two-stage Falcon 9 booster rocket and prototype reusable space capsule, Dragon.

Japan, US Wrap Up Joint Military Exercises
(CNN International) The United States and Japan wrapped up seven days of joint military exercises Friday, as tensions simmered on the Korean peninsula. About 40,000 U.S. service members and Japanese military personnel took part in "Keen Sword" drills. It was the 10th such exercise since 1986, and they focused on air and missile defense, base security and force protection, search and rescue, and maritime defense.

Demo Satellites Detect, Track Missile
(UPI.com) Demonstration satellites built by U.S. companies Northrop Grumman and Raytheon successfully detected and tracked an ICBM test launch. The single re-entry test vehicle from the missile traveled about 5,300 miles to a pre-determined point about 200 miles southwest of Guam. The missile defense satellites transmitted tracking data to ...

AIR DEFENSE: Mobile Centurion Opens Fire
(Strategy Page) After two years of talking about it, and doing some tinkering, the U.S. Army finally mounted a Centurion anti-rocket/mortar system on a heavy truck, and successfully fired it. This  Centurion was originally developed six years ago, as "C-RAM".

Kazakhstan, Russia Agree to Joint Air Defense Shield
(Central Asia Newswire - Subscription) Kazakhstan and Russia have agreed to set up a joint air defense network.

Agni II Plus Fails First Flight Test
(Defense Update) Test launch of India’s latest nuclear capable ballistic missile failed this morning, after the Agni II Plus (A-2) ballistic missile plunged into the Bay of Bengal few seconds after liftoff from India’s Integrated Test Range(ITR) at Wheeler Island at the eastern state of Orissa.

New START Treaty Implicitly Limits Missile Defense
(defpro) As the oft-used question goes: Are you going to believe me or your lying eyes? This is the White House’s apparent strategy with respect to ratification of the New START treaty that may set a dangerous trap for future missile defense deployments. The current US plan is to deploy ...

Boeing Missile-Defense System to Get Pentagon Test After January Failure
(Bloomberg) The Pentagon next week plans to test a Boeing Co. missile defense system that failed to intercept its target ...

Sun Sets on Keen Sword Exercise
(Sourdough Sentinel) The exchange brought together more than 40000 US and Japanese military personnel and focused on integrated air and missile defense, base security and force ...

White House Intensifies Military Buildup In Poland
(OpEdNews) ... purpose of improving the interoperability, sustainability, and deployability of Poland's Armed Forces," and "expand air and missile defense cooperation. ...

Railgun Shot Heard Round the World
(msnbc.com) ... and the high velocities achievable are tactically relevant for air and missile defense," Rear Adm. Nevin Carr, chief of naval research, said in a Navy ...

Monday, 13 December 2010

Navy Railgun Fires 33-Megajoule Shot
(DailyTech) The Navy announced last week that it hit a milestone with its railgun project. The railgun fires a very fast projectile that is accelerated with electricity rather than gunpowder or explosives. The weapon payload uses kinetic energy to destroy targets rather than a high-explosive warhead. (See also Examiner.com)  

The Bipartisan Push for Missile Defense
(Daily Caller) On November 20th at the Lisbon summit, NATO officially announced it would move forward with a missile defense system for Europe that will use the US plan ...

Investments in Ballistic Missile Defense
(US Department of State) The Administration is committed to defending the U.S. homeland against the threat of limited ballistic missile attack and defending against regional missile threats to U.S. forces and Allies. This commitment is reflected in substantial investments in ballistic missile defense (BMD). The President’s fiscal year 2011 (FY2011) budget request includes $9.9 billion for missile defense …

Arms Race: Russia Ready to Pay the Price
(RIA Novosti) At least, the above shows that the US is fully aware of the missile defense–strategic arms reductions link when its own interests are at stake.

Tuesday, 14 December 2010

General to Israeli Civilians: Missile Defense Not Here to Protect You
(Antiwar.com) These comments were seen at the time as being an effort to sell the public on the expensive and ineffective missile defense programs, but it seems Israeli ...

U.S. Army Wants to Give Free Smartphones to Soldiers
(Gather.com) Mike McCarthy of Future Force Integration Directorate at Fort Bliss says, “We're looking at everything from iPads to Kindles to Nook readers to ... (See also Wall Street Journal - Blog )

Yearenders:  US, Russia, EU Powers Play with European Security
(Xinhua) Medvedev warned in his state-of-the-nation address that if talks with NATO on missile defense failed within a decade, "a new round of arms race will ...

Northrop Grumman-Built STSS Demonstration Satellites Show 'Force Multiplier’ Capability in Aegis Campaign Test
(GlobeNewsWire - Press Release) Both STSS satellites transmitted tracking data to the Enterprise Sensors Lab (ESL) at the Missile Defense Integration and Operations Center at Schriever Air ...

Tax Cut Tango
(Capitol News Connection) Support for Power Breakfast comes from Raytheon, committed to Integrated Air and Missile Defense solutions that protect against airborne and ballistic missile threats across air, land, sea and space.

Taiwan Trumpets Cruise Missile Production
(UPI.com) Washington has tried to bolster Taiwan's defenses, including selling the Taiwanese $6 billion worth of missile defense systems in a deal announced last ...

How NATO-Russia Talks on Missile Defense Could Halt – or Launch – a New Arms Race
(Christian Science Monitor) Some security experts say the most urgent quest of our time is convincing Moscow to allow the US to defend the West with a missile defense shield.

US Army Wants to Give Soldiers a Choice of Apple iPhone or Android Phone
(Apple Insider) As reported this week by the Army Times, the Army is considering making a smartphone a standard piece of equipment in a soldier's bag. Based on the proposal, the Army would even pay the soldier's monthly phone bill. Army-issued phones are already used in a variety of fashions through the Connecting Soldiers to Digital Applications program. But the next step, reportedly already in testing, is to deploy smartphones in war zones.

The Navy's New Super Gun Explained
(AOL News) ... are tactically relevant for air and missile defense," Rear Adm. Nevin Carr, chief of naval research, said in a release announcing the latest test.

Wednesday, 15 December 2010

Fog, Air-Traffic Issues
Scrub VAFB Launch
(Lompoc Record) A missile-defense test planned for Tuesday from Vandenberg Air Force Base was delayed due to unfavorable weather, but the team hopes to try again as soon. The test should occur between 8 a.m. and noon today, with the interceptor missile scheduled to blast out of an underground silo on North Base several minutes after the target takes off from the Kwajalein Atoll, about 4,200 miles southwest of Vandenberg.

Missile Blasts Off from Vandenberg Air Force Base
(KSBY San Luis Obispo News) The multi-million dollar launch is part of a missile defense test. The ground based interceptor test will defend against an intermediate-range ballistic ...  

Soldiers Test Smart Phones in Field Exercise
(United States Army - Press Release) Phase II of "Connecting Soldiers to Digital Applications" (CSDA) kicked off Dec. 8, with a field exercise in which Soldiers from the Army Evaluation Task Force (AETF) tested smart-phone technology.

'Being With The Young People' Is Military's Best Part
(eMilitary.org) Major General Francis Mahon doesn't know the number of funerals he has attended in his life as a Soldier, but every one of them has touched his heart. Today, as director for test at Missile Defense Agency, his role when it comes to the Soldiers serving in harm's way has changed, but his mission and heart remains in the same place.

Raytheon to Continue Software Development for the AN/TPY-2 Radar
(PR Newswire - Press Release) "As an integral component in MDA's Ballistic Missile Defense System, the AN/TPY-2 radar is one of the critical systems that our warfighters rely on to ...

Raytheon Tests SLAMRAAM Missile from New Platform
(Brahmand Defense and Aerospace News) TEWKSBURY (BNS): Raytheon has successfully test-fired its SLAMRAAM (Surface Launched Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) system at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. This is the second ballistic test firing of AMRAAM missiles from the new Family of Medium Tactical Vehicle (FMTV) platform.

Long-Range Missile Defense
Test Fails
(CNN International) A test of the United States' only long-range missile defense system failed Wednesday -- the second failure this year in two tries.

Boeing Missile System Misses Target for Second Time This Year, US Says
(Bloomberg) The Missile Defense Agency “was unable to achieve a planned intercept of a target over the Pacific Ocean,” Richard Lehner, a spokesman, said in a statement ...

US Missile Intercept Test Fails
(Washington Post) The interceptor's sensors worked and the EKV was deployed, but it missed, according to a statement from Rick Lehner, a spokesman for the US Missile Defense ...

Raytheon Powers Up DOD Missile Defense Systems
(Washington Technology) Raytheon Co. will continue creating software and other IT capabilities for the Missile Defense Agency under a $43 million contract ...

Missile Defense Agency
(Santa Barbara Edhat) The Missile Defense Agency was unable to achieve a planned intercept of a ballistic missile target during a test over the Pacific Ocean today.

McFarland is New DAU President
(FederalNewsRadio.com) The Defense Acquisition University has a new president. DoD has named Katrina McFarland to head the university, replacing Frank Anderson, who retired in May. McFarland comes to DAU from the Missile Defense Agency, where she was director for acquisition.

Missiles and Missile Defenses in Europe Highlight Limits of East-West Rapproachement
(Georgiandaily) Beyond that controversy some details emerged on what type of missile defense Russia wants to “share” with NATO. Russia wants what it calls a sectoral ...

Thursday, 16 December 2010

New START Myths Debunked, Missile Defense Edition
 (DemocracyArsenal.org) Reality: New START preserves our ability to deploy effective missile defenses. New START does not limit US missile defense systems or in any way diminish ...

US Long-Range Missile Test Fails
(Gant Daily) A U.S. long-range interceptor missile was unable to take out its target in a defense test over the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday. The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency spokesman Rick Lehner issued a statement with sparse details.

Contract Continues X-Band Radar Work
(UPI.com) Raytheon will continue software development for the AN/TPY-2 radar system under a $43 million contract modification from the US Missile Defense ...

Leadership of Army Space and Missile Defense Command Changes in Time-Honored Ceremony
(al.com - Blog) Despite icy weather and the early closure of Redstone Arsenal, a star-studded audience assembled Wednesday afternoon in the Bob Jones Auditorium as Lieutenant General Kevin T. Campbell passed command of the Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command to Lieutenant General Richard P. Formica.

MEADS International Announces New Executives
(defpro) David Berganini has been named President of MEADS International (MI) by its Board of Directors. MI is the transatlantic joint venture developing the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) , a next-generation, ground-mobile air and missile defense system that will replace Patriot.

US Missile Defense Test
Fails over Pacific
(Reuters) A test of the sole U.S. defense against long-range ballistic missiles failed on Wednesday, the second in a row involving the system managed by Boeing Co, the Defense Department said.

Missile Defense Program Failed Second Test in a Row, US Says
(Washington Post) A test of the US missile defense program failed Wednesday, the second in a row involving the system, the Defense Department said.

Israeli Missile Defenses Not Focused on Civilians, General Says
(Global Security Newswire/NTI) An Israeli general said on Sunday the nation's antimissile systems are primarily intended to defend military sites from enemy attack, potentially leaving civilians vulnerable, United Press International reported. Israel, meanwhile, is developing and deploying rocket and missile defense technology, including the Arrow, David's Sling and Iron Dome systems.

Imagining an Iranian ICBM
(National Post) An Israeli engineer,  named Uzi Rubin, the former head of Israel's Missile Defense Organization, gave a presentation on Iran's missile program that showed how quickly Iranian technology is advancing. During the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Iran was so backward that it had to import its missiles from Libya. Today, the country flies its own satellites. Along the way, Iran has developed an indigenous missile-production infrastructure. The country now has the capability to design, construct and deploy multi-stage solid-fuel systems roughly similar to the U.S. Polaris A1 and Minuteman I.

Friday, 17 December 2010