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

Friday
25 June 2010

Obama Seeks Russian Collaboration on Missile Defense
(Global Security Newswire)
 President Barack Obama said yesterday that he is dedicated to pursuing collaborative missile defense initiatives with Russia (see GSN, June 18).

Congressional Documents and Publications
 (Insurance News Net - Press Release)
No one could doubt that a Russian decision to deploy a very large ballistic missile defense force aimed at shooting down all of the American missiles that survived a Russian surprise first strike would lead the United States to carefully evaluate the adequacy of our offensive forces and to withdraw from the Treaty if we determine that our supreme national interest requires such action. We should not be surprised if the Russians have the same view.

Bulgaria May Join NATO Missile Shield in Future: Minister
(Xinhua)
Bulgarian Defense Minister Angelov indicated Friday that the country may join the NATO missile shield in the future and link its air defense to the bloc's missile defense system.

Thursday
24 June 2010

U.S. Senate Must Ratify New START
(Atlanta Journal Constitution)
While some have alleged that the New START treaty will inhibit missile defense, this claim has been strongly refuted by Republican elder statesmen.

Critical Decision Near For Meads Venture
(Aviation Week)
The tri-national Medium Extended Air Defense System (Meads) is once again under scrutiny, and its fate could be determined by a series of political and programmatic developments due to unfold in the coming weeks.

Boeing Launches New Phase of Missile Defense Training in Huntsville
(al.com - Blog)
The system is used for training their team as the prime contractor for the Missile Defense Agency's ground based mid-course defense system.

US Tests Missile with 'Replica' Warhead
(UPI.com)
A Minute Man II missile with a "replica" nuclear warhead was successfully launched from California's Vandenberg Air Force Base. The test was to evaluate the overall performance of the U.S. intercontinental ballistic weapon system.

Russia's Expensive Friendship
(Newsweek - Blog)
After a decade of being at loggerheads, Moscow and Washington have found common ground on a raft of core issues, from sanctions on Iran to missile defense of Europe and a de facto halt to NATO expansion in Russia’s backyard.

Saturday & Sunday
19 & 20 June 2010

An NCO Recognizes a Flawed Afghanistan Strategy
(The Washington Post)
Torrents of uninteresting mail inundate members of Congress, but occasionally there are riveting communications, such as a recent e-mail from an NCO serving in Afghanistan explaining why the rules of engagement for U.S. troops are "too prohibitive for coalition forces to achieve sustained tactical successes."

Friday
18 June 2010

US Sanctions Iran's Air Force, Missile Command
(World Tribune)
The U.S. Treasury has announced sanctions on Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and its military and civilian units. Under the sanctions, the first since the United Nations approved new restrictions on Iran on June 9, Washington would freeze funds and ban dealings with IRGC's air force and missile commands.

“New START” Won't Limit Missile Defense Plans, US Generals Say
(Global Security Newswire)
Nothing in the "New START" pact, currently before the U.S. Senate for ratification, would constrain the administration's missile defense plans, including the "phased adaptive approach" for regional missile defense in Europe, Lieutenant General Patrick O'Reilly, director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "There are no limitations in the treaty on our plans for missile defense," he said.

Pentagon to Continue Developing Conventional Weapons after Ratification of START
(Washington Post)
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates told lawmakers Thursday that the United States continues to encourage Russia to join a European missile-defense system intended to counter the threat posed by Iranian missiles.

Rihyad Gives OK To Israeli Attack On Iran
(Auburn Journal)
Saudi Arabia has given its go-ahead to Israel to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities, according to the 12 June edition of the Times UK. Riyadh has already carried out tests to make certain Saudi military interceptors are not scrambled, and missile defense systems are not activated, during an Israeli mission.

Fort Bliss Inquiry:
Members of Congress Inquire About
Soldier's TBI Treatments
(Justice News Flash)
A slew of allegations of improper care of soldier's traumatic brain injuries at Fort Bliss have prompted members of Congress to take action.

 Lockheed Martin to Seek
Missile Defense Contract
(KFQD)
Defense contractor Lockheed Martin says it will team with Alaska's state-owned aerospace corporation to pursue the U.S. Missile Defense Agency contract for the ground-based missile defense system.

Lockheed Takes Second Shot
at Missile Defense Contract
(Global Security Newswire)
Lockheed Martin Corp. and Alaska Aerospace Corp. yesterday announced they would together seek a $3 billion U.S. Defense Department contract to support and augment the nation’s Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, the Associated Press reported.

US, Romania Move Forward
on Missile Defense
(Voice of America)
U.S. and Romanian officials are working out details of a proposal to place interceptors in Romania as part of a U.S. anti-missile shield in Europe. The U.S. missile deployment in Romania is not expected to become operational for about five years.

US Cabinet Officials Deny Report
of Secret Deal to Limit Missile Defenses
(Global Security Newswire)
Senior Obama administration officials yesterday strongly denied a news report that the United States is brokering a clandestine agreement with Russia to limit missile defense deployments in the wake of negotiating the replacement to the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

Thursday
17 June 2010

Iran Says It Doesn't
Need Arms Imports Banned by UN
(BusinessWeek)
Iran isn’t interested in importing arms banned in the fourth round of United Nations nuclear sanctions against the country because it can build its own weapons, said Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, who is on a U.S. list of people who should be targeted by the UN measures.

US Firm Researching Israelis' Methodology
for Fast-Tracking
Missile Defense
(World Tribune)
Raytheon has been working with Israel's state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems to develop a tactical missile defense system that could intercept a range of projectiles.

U.S. Official Says START Won't Limit Plans
(The Moscow Times)
On Wednesday, the chief of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency also assured senators that the treaty did not limit Washington's missile defense plans.

Raytheon Receives $73 Million to Advance Patriot Capabilities for Taiwan and Kuwait
(PR-USA.net-Press Release)
The contract is the first of its kind for international Patriot partners and combines the spares requirements for both Taiwan and Kuwait. The spares will support the upgrade and operation of existing Patriot systems fielded by both countries.

Europe Could Face Hundreds of Iranian Missiles -Gates
(Reuters)
The Obama administration has held out the possibility that Moscow could take part in the missile defense system in partnership with the United States.

Clinton Urges Senate to Ratify Nuclear Deal with Russia
(AFP)
Russia has said it reserves the right to withdraw from the treaty if Washington presses ahead with missile defense systems in eastern Europe.

Obama Is Not Working On A Secret Missile Defense Deal With Russia
(The Atlantic)
Matt Drudge picks up Bill Gertz's Washington Times story about how President Obama is secretly working on a missile defense deal that " many officials fear will limit U.S. missile defenses, a key objective of Moscow since it opposed plans for a U.S. missile defense interceptor base in Eastern Europe, according to American officials involved in arms control issues.

Russian Lawmakers Rule Out Prompt START Ratification
(Global Security Newswire)
“This treaty does not constrain any current (US) missile defense plans,” the official said. “America’s nuclear arsenal remains a vital pillar of U.S. national security”. “I do not see any limitation on my ability to develop missile defenses,” Missile Defense Agency Director Lieutenant General  Patrick O'Reilly said.

Wednesday
16 June 2010

Congress Demands Answers on Traumatic Brain Injury at Texas Base
(ProPublica)
Representatives Harry Teague D-N.M., Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, and Ciro Rodriguez, D-Texas, sent a letter to Fort Bliss' William Beaumont Army Medical Center on Tuesday expressing concern over our report that soldiers encountered debilitating delays and frustrating bureaucracy when seeking help at the base, America's third largest by number of soldiers. "We are deeply concerned that our government could be failing those to whom we owe the most," the three men wrote in their letter. "These reports must be investigated and receive the full attention of the United States Congress and government."
Read More about this at:
Answers Sought From Fort Bliss About Brain Injuries (KFOX El Paso)
Congress Questions Brain-Injury Care At Texas Base (VPR - Blog)

Arms Reduction Treaty Would Make US Safer
(DoD)
The leaders of U.S. Strategic Command and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency told a Senate committee today that they were closely involved in developing the new Strategic Arms Control and National Security Treaty, and that they believe it will make the United States and its allies safer.

Minuteman III Launched
(Santa Barbara Edhat)
A scheduled Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile test was launched here at 3:01 a.m. June 16 from Launch Facility-10. The flight test was the first for the 576th Flight Test Squadron since its realignment under Air Force Global Strike Command. The missile's single re-entry test vehicle traveled approximately 4,190 miles before hitting its pre-determined target near the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands.

US Adds Iranians, Firms to Blacklist Under New Sanctions
(AFP)
US President Barack Obama's administration on Wednesday tightened the noose on Iran's nuclear program when it added more Iranian individuals and firms to a long blacklist under extended sanctions.

The Way Forward on Missile Defense
(Wall Street Journal)
Ballistic missile defenses have matured from a Cold War idea to a real-world necessity. Threats today from ballistic missiles are real, present and growing. Iran and North Korea have extensive inventories of these weapons that threaten their neighbors.

Tuesday
15 June 2010

Defense Bill Boosts Missile Scrutiny
(Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance)
As Congress, prodded by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, casts a more watchful eye on Pentagon spending and contracting procedures, even missile defense programs may no longer get a free pass. In fact, come next year, Congress may boost scrutiny of the Pentagon’s missile defense initiatives in a way both political parties can support.

Saturday & Sunday
12 & 13 June 2010

Weld's Missile Site Park Stirs Echoes of Cold War (Denver Post) Weld County could be considered a superpower, with at least 30 active nuclear missiles resting within its borders. And Pete Ambrose is caretaker for the county's only deactivated Atlas E missile site. The Atlas E was one of the country's first operational intercontinental ballistic missiles and considered the first line of defense against a nuclear strike from the Soviet Union.

Iran Demands Russian S-300s to Make It 'Invincible' to Israel
(BusinessWeek)
The SA-20 would provide Iran with a modern long- range surface-to-air missile system that is capable of defending against a variety of threats including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and modern aircraft, it said.

US Dept of Defense - Afghanistan, Missile Defense Top NATO Agenda
(ISRIA - Registration)
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and his NATO counterparts are meeting here today and tomorrow, with the training effort in Afghanistan and missile defense among the issues highlighting the talks.

Weld's Missile Site Park Stirs Echoes of Cold War
(Denver Post)
Weld County could be considered a superpower, with at least 30 active nuclear missiles resting within its borders. And Pete Ambrose is caretaker for the county's only deactivated Atlas E missile site. The Atlas E was one of the country's first operational intercontinental ballistic missiles and considered the first line of defense against a nuclear strike from the Soviet Union.

Iran Demands Russian S-300s to Make It 'Invincible' to Israel
(BusinessWeek)
The SA-20 would provide Iran with a modern long- range surface-to-air missile system that is capable of defending against a variety of threats including ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and modern aircraft, it said.

US Dept of Defense - Afghanistan, Missile Defense Top NATO Agenda
(ISRIA - Registration) Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and his NATO counterparts are meeting here today and tomorrow, with the training effort in Afghanistan and missile defense among the issues highlighting the talks.

Saudis Permit Israeli Jets to Pass Over to Iran
(Ynetnews)
Saudi Arabia has carried out tests of its missile defense systems aimed at allowing Israeli warplanes to pass over its territory on their way to strike nuclear facilities in Iran, defense sources in the Persian Gulf told the London Times Saturday.

Iran and the Balkans:
Russia Risks
Making the Same Mistakes
(Voltaire Network)
In 2009, the Russian foreign ministry was on a number of occasions forced to deny that — as Western media kept suggesting — there existed a "missile defense for Iran" swap deal.

In Brief: Iran Sanctions
(Dallas Morning News)
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, visiting China Friday for the Shanghai World Expo, brushed off new U.N. Security Council sanctions against his country over its nuclear program calling them "worthless paper." He blamed the U. S. for "bullying" Iran's ally China into supporting the sanctions. "We have no reason to weaken our relations with China," Ahmadinejad said. "I said the problem is the United States."

Saudi Arabia Gives Green Light to
Israeli Raid on Iran
(Spero News)
Saudi Arabia has agreed to allow Israel to utilize an essential corridor in its air space and thereby shorten the route for a raid on Iran.In order to allow the Israeli raid, Riyadh has carried out tests to make certain its own jets are not scrambled and missile defense systems not activated.

Iran official: Russia Obligated to
Complete S-300 Sale
(Ha'aretz)
Esmail Kowsari tells Mehr news that Iran would develop its own missile defense system in case planned deal falls through due to recent UN sanctions. The senior Iranian official added that if Russia eventually refused "to deliver the systems, we are well capable of producing missile defense systems that are very much similar to Russia's S-300 apparatus."

Friday
11 June 2010

National Cemetery Loses Grass So Golf Courses Can Remain Green
(Spooftimes.com - Satire)
No sacrifice is greater, however, than that at the Fort Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso, Texas.

Russian President Plans Missile Defense Talks in US (Global Security Newswire)Russian President Dmitry Medvedev intends to raise the issue of missile defense when he travels to the United States later this month. Moscow has long been concerned about U.S. plans to deploy antimissile systems in Europe, characterizing such defenses as a threat to its strategic security and questioning the U.S. assertion of an Iranian missile threat.

Air Force Jets Set to Intercept Mock Intruders Off NW Coast
(Seattle Post
Intelligencer - Blog)
The Western Air Defense Sector, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, in Washington, will scramble F-15 Eagles from the Air National Guard's 142nd Fighter Wing ... Exercise Amalgam Dart is designed to hone intercept and identification operations for the people who protect airspace in and off of the Northwestern U.S., western Canada and Alaska.

Medvedev to Discuss Missile Defense During US Visit
(RIA Novosti)
Russia President Dmitry Medvedev will discuss the controversial issue of missile defense with the US leadership during his upcoming visit to the United States.

New Intercepting Missiles Tested in the US
 (Softpedia)
“The Missile Defense Agency successfully conducted a flight test of a two-stage Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI).The two-stage GBI is undergoing developmental testing as part of DoD’s strategy to invest in new missile defense options that contribute to homeland defense. Results from the test will characterize two-stage performance and design for potential future missile defense applications.

Russia $12 Billion
Arms Spree May Benefit DCNS, Iveco
(Bloomberg BusinessWeek)
President Medvedev said the military needs more than 30 ballistic missiles, five Iskander air-defense batteries, about 300 “modern” armored vehicles, 30 helicopters, 28 warplanes, three nuclear-powered submarines and a corvette.

Boeing Reaches Beyond Defense
(St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
Last year, the Pentagon scaled back Army modernization and missile-defense programs in which Boeing was a major player. Faced with uncertain winds in defense spending, Boeing's Hazelwood-based defense unit is venturing into far less traditional markets like the power grid and cybersecurity.

Task Force Recommends $960 Billion in DOD Cuts
(InsideDefense - Subscription)
And I believe missile defense is another area.” The task force also encourages rolling back the deadline for DOD to pass an independent audit, ...

Russia Now Says Iran Sanctions Ban S-300 Missiles
(The Associated Press)
A Kremlin official says Russia will not be able to deliver S-300 air-defense missiles to Iran because of the new UN sanctions. Israel and the U.S. have urged Russia not to supply the S-300, which would substantially increase Iran's defense capability. See Also:
Russia Halts Sale of Air Defense Missiles to Iran (Washington Post)
 Russia Reneges On Missile Sales To Iran Under UN Sanctions
(RTTNews)

Space and Missile Defense Command's New Lab at Redstone Arsenal Develops Technology, Workforce
(al.com - Blog)
The Army Space and Missile Defense Command's new Concepts Analysis Lab, officially opened this week. SMDC is identifying and exploring emerging technology and ideas to see whether they're worth pursuing to develop new tools to help warfighters around the globe.

Can We Halt The Military Decline Of The West?
(defpro)
In the wake of his announcement that the U.S. will be reducing its defense expenditures and force structure over the next five years, Secretary of Defense Gates went to Europe to plead with the NATO countries not to shrink their militaries any further. The U.S. needs to create a strategy that will provide key allies with essential advanced military capabilities in such areas as integrated air and missile defense. The sale of missile defense systems such as Patriot and THAAD to Gulf allies is an example of what can be done.

Panel Makes Suggestions to Cut Defense Spending (AirForceTimes.com) Defense spending cuts will be essential as the United States struggles to bring its $13 trillion debt and $1.4 trillion annual deficit under control, members of the task force said Friday. The US should also cut spending on missile defense — now a $10 billion annual expense — to about $3.3 billion until development work is done and missile interceptors are proven to work, the task force said.
See Also:
Task Force Sees Pentagon Cuts Key to US Budget Fix (Reuters)
Left-Right Defense Wonk Coalition Looks to Cut $960 Trillion From Bloated Pentagon Budget
(The Washington Independent)
Frank, Task Force, Urge Pentagon Role in Deficit Reduction
(Common Dreams -
Press Release)

Democrtes Planning $1 Trillion in Defense Cuts
(Dakota Voice)
If you lived in a dangerous neighborhood, would you be more concerned about buying luxury items or about buying the things necessary to keep your property and your family safe? The United States Constitution authorizes a few specific powers to the federal government.  Those enumerated powers are found in Article 1 Section 8. While you will not find authorization there for the unconstitutional social programs which consume about 50% of our annual budget, you will find authorization for national defense.

Rocket Interceptor Completes Successful Flight Test at Vandenberg AFB
(Examiner.com)
The Missile Defense Agency successfully conducted a flight test of a two-stage Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), launching from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

 Is a Third Lebanon
War Imminent?
(The Faster Times)
With the Gaza blockade and flotilla incident consuming the international media another problematic Israeli security front has faded into the background: the threat of another outbreak of war on the Israel-Lebanon border.

 Army: Mix-up at Arlington Cemetery
(The Associated Press)
An Army investigation has found that potentially hundreds of remains at Arlington National Cemetery have been misidentified or misplaced, in a scandal marring the reputation of the nation's pre-eminent burial ground for its honored dead since the Civil War.

Thursday
10 June 2010


Wednesday
9 June 2010

Iran Sanctions Imposed by UN; Turkey, Brazil Vote No
(BusinessWeek)
The United Nations Security Council voted to impose new sanctions on Iran that restrict financial transactions, tighten an arms embargo and authorize the seizure of cargo linked to its nuclear or missile programs.

ZAP to Present Electric Truck, Van and ATV to U.S. Army at Fort Bliss
(MarketWatch -
Press Release)
Electric vehicle pioneer ZAP is demonstrating its line of electric trucks, vans and ATVs at the Renewable Energy Rodeo and Symposium, June 8-9, hosted by the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command's Tank and Automotive Center, Fort Bliss, Texas.

2-Stage Missile Meets
Test Goals
(The Huntsville Times - al.com)
The Missile Defense Agency said Sunday's test of a two-stage version of the three-stage ground-based interceptor missile already protecting the United States was a success. The three-stage GBI is deployed at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as part of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, the nation's only long-range ballistic missile defense system.

Plan to Park Giant Radar Platform in Everett Raises Concerns
(HeraldNet)
The SBX radar platform is 25 stories tall and looks like a gigantic floating golf trophy. The $900 million platform is part of a national defense system designed to track incoming ballistic missiles. It might be motoring to Everett's waterfront sometime soon. The U.S. Navy and the Missile Defense Agency are talking about bringing the Sea-Based X-Band Radar to Naval Station Everett for repairs.  If the radar platform came to Everett, its visit would be temporary.

Too High a Price
(New York Post)
Early on, President Obama killed the Bush-era plan to deploy missile-defense stations in the Czech Republic and Poland. His defenders said Obama never really believed in land-based missile defense anyway -- so he wasn't giving up anything he wanted, anyway, and pleasing Russia with that unilateral concession would surely help later with negotiations on Iran. But Moscow pocketed the gift, then asked for further bilateral concessions before it would sign on to Washington's self-declared "reset" policy.

 Missile Defense Sore Topic between Washington and Moscow
(Sofia Echo)
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty - or START - recently signed between the United States and Russia, does not specifically address the issue of missile defenses.  But the issue is a sore topic between Washington and Moscow.

Tuesday
8 June 2010

NPR News And ProPublica Investigation Reveals Failure Of Military To Diagnose, Treat Brain Injuries
(WebWire - Press Release)
Despite years of warnings and hundreds of millions of dollars in funding, the military’s medical system is failing to diagnose and adequately treat as many as tens of thousands of soldiers who suffered from so-called mild traumatic brain injury in Iraq and Afghanistan, often called the signature wound of those wars, according to a major investigation by NPR News and ProPublica.

Lockheed Martin wins THAAD Field Support Contract
(Military & Aerospace Electronics)
Lockheed Martin won a contract to provide support for the U.S. Army's fielding of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) weapon system. The company will support the Army during the THAAD limited user testing, a key step toward release of the THAAD system.

Scenarios - US Congress Looks to Election, Battles on Issues
(Reuters)
Obama negotiated an arms-reduction treaty with Russia. Now he must convince two-thirds of the Senate to ratify it; he would like to get this done before the November election. First, though, Obama needs to overcome Republican worries that the United States has little to gain from the treaty and could lose its freedom of action on missile defense.

Vandenberg Launches Successful Missile Defense Test
(Noozhawk)
About two-thirds of this year's $8 billion budget is earmarked for short- and mid-range missile defense. Ground-based interceptors, designed to intercept incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles while in midcourse, are part of the agency’s long-range defense program, although the Army’s 49th Missile Defense Battalion handles its operational aspects.

With Brain Injuries, Soldiers Face Battle For Care
(NPR)
At the rapidly expanding base in Fort Bliss, Texas, the military is racing to build new homes for 10,000 additional soldiers. Just down the street and completed a year ago, is a tan, featureless building about the size of a convenience store. It remains unopened, the doors locked. Building 805 was supposed to house a clinic for traumatic brain injury, often called the signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, it has become a symbol for soldiers here of what they call commanders' indifference to their problems.

US Military Turns to TV for Surveillance Technology
(Los Angeles Times)
As it rapidly expands its drone program over Afghanistan, the U.S. military is turning to the technology that powers NFL broadcasts, ESPN and TV news to catalog a flood of information coming from the cameras of its fleet of unmanned aircraft.

New Food Safety
Report Today
(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. Raytheon. Customer success is our mission.

Saturday & Sunday
5 & 6 June 2010

News Article Gates Describes US Approach to Deterrence in Asia
(DoD)
A U.S. defense posture in Asia that is more geographically distributed, operationally resilient and politically sustainable is necessary in deterring conflict in today’s world, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. “First, we are taking serious steps to enhance our missile defenses with the intent to develop capabilities in Asia that are flexible and deployable.”

Vandenberg Launch
(Santa Barbara Edhat)
The 30th Space Wing and Missile Defense Agency launched a ground-based interceptor at 3:25 pm June 6 from North Vandenberg. The launch was a flight test for a two-stage variant of the operationally-configured three-stage interceptor now deployed at Vandenberg AFB.The test was solely for data collection purposes and system performance evaluation. There was no target launch or intercept attempt for this mission.

Take Advantage of
Kim's Bad Timing
(Wall Street Journal)
Seoul and Washington have a poor track record of imposing tough-sounding measures only to backtrack in practice. However, there are some reasons to hope this time might be different, and indeed that well-enforced responses could yield big dividends.

Missile Test Delayed
a Few Hours at VAFB
(Santa Maria Times)
A missile-defense booster's test launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base has been delayed until after 3 pm today. The postponement is due to time needed to allow for alignment of the sensors.

Who is to Blame for Strained China-US
Military Ties?
(Xinhua)
There is no official confirmation from the Chinese side of Gates' complaint. But judging from a sequence of events, it is obviously not China, but the United States that should be blamed for the setback in bilateral military ties. Military-to-military relations between China and the United States have been chilled since Washington decided in January to sell 6.4 billion U.S. dollars' worth of military hardware to Taiwan, including the advanced PAC-3 air defense missile system.

Was the Obama Administration Involved in the Planning of the Israeli Attack on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla?
(Center for Research on Globalization)
Washington views Israel as being "'integrated into America's military architecture,' especially in the missile defense sphere.

Friday
4 June 2010

Laser Plane Gets More Cash to Blow Up More
Stuff Up
(Wired News)
Once a half-billion-dollar a year operation, the Missile Defense Agency’s flagship laser weapon program got just $40 million this week to continue experiments. Boeing has to make due with a mere $330,000/day from June until September to keep the Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) going, bringing the ALTB’s total budget this year to $146 million.

Japanese Defenses Battered By Political Storm
(Aviation Weekly)
Part of the reason for Yukio Hatoyama's about-face was his realization that the US military is building up an air-launched missile defense capability in Okinawa.

Taiwan Plans Medium-Range Missile Test
(Global Security Newswire)
Taiwan was scheduled by today to conduct a test launch a missile that could reach Beijing, a Taiwanese magazine reported.

Expert Accuses Burma of Trying to Build Nuclear Bomb
(Voice of America)
At the center of the investigation is Sai Thein Win, a former defense engineer and missile expert who worked in factories in Burma.

Ankara Weighs Defense Ties to Israel
(UPI.com)
Reports noted that Israeli officials have moved cautiously in sales of strategic weapons systems to Turkey. Israel hasn't bid on a multibillion-dollar contract for long-range missile defense sales to Turkey.

UAE Said Close to Buying
US Antimissile System
(Global Security Newswire)
The United Arab Emirates is close to reaching agreement with the United States to buy an advanced antimissile system for $7 billion, the Xinhua News Agency reported. This would be the first sale outside the United States of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system. The technology would complement a Patriot missile defense system planned for deployment by the United Arab Emirates.

New START—No Killer Flaws Emerge
(Brookings Institute)
First, New START will limit missile defense and/or weaken the US commitment to missile defense. The treaty's preamble notes the interrelationship between offense and defense, simply stating the reality that one side’s missile defense can affect the other side’s offensive forces.

Falcon 9 Rocket Ready
for First Launch
(New York News Today)
Falcon 9 rocket is ready for its first launch on Friday morning as part of a plan to have a private space company takes over from NASA soon shuttle stops flying.

Axing DDG 1000 Radar Could Save Money
(NavyTimes.com)
The Pentagon’s move to delete half the radar system for the Navy’s DDG 1000 Zumwalt-class destroyers could save more than $600 million and may eventually open the door to giving the ships a ballistic missile defense capability, industry sources said.

Thursday
3 June 2010

Defense Minister: Iran, Syria Pose Missile Threats to Bulgaria
(Novinite.com)
There is a need to strengthen the missile defense not just of Bulgaria but of all NATO member states. The approach of the US government with respect to a missile defense in Europe must be used,” said Bulgarian Defense Minister Anyu Angelov, former head of the Center for Studying National Security & Defense at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Pentagon Told to Save Billions for Use in War
(New York Times)
Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has ordered the military and the Pentagon’s civilian bureaucracy to find tens of billions of dollars in annual savings to pay for war-fighting operations. The spending orders offer a considerable incentive, each dollar in spending cuts found by a military department would be reinvested in the combat force of that branch, and not siphoned away for other purposes.

Booster Test Launch Planned from
Vandenberg AFB
(Lompoc Record)
The US Missile Defense Agency will try out its new two-stage booster during a test launch Sunday afternoon from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The $95 million test is part of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Segment designed to counter a limited, long-range missile attack against the United States.

UAE Nears $7 Billion
Missile Deal
(National)
The THAAD missile system will have its 14th test flight in Hawaii next month.

Gates Criticizes Chinese Military for Blocking
Talks in Beijing
(Washington Post)
Gates visited Beijing in November 2007 as defense secretary under former president George W. Bush's administration. Shortly afterward, the Pentagon announced that it would sell Patriot missile upgrades to Taiwan, prompting China to cancel a scheduled port call by a U.S. aircraft carrier and cut other military ties.

Moscow Objects to
Patriots in Poland
(Georgiandaily)
Last week US-Russian relations were dominated by the arrival and deployment of US soldiers with Patriot missiles in Poland near the Russian border. The Patriot deployment was agreed upon by Warsaw and Washington to offset possible Russian threats to station Iskander ballistic missiles in Kaliningrad in response to the deployment of US Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) interceptor missiles in Poland and the BMD radar in the Czech Republic.

Air & Missile Defense Conference Concluding Today Let Partners talk at Classified Levels
(al.com - Blog)
There is a major missile defense meeting concluding in Huntsville today, but most of us wouldn't know it. The two-day 2010 Joint Integrated Air and Missile Defense Conference is classified and could accommodate fewer than 200 senior government and industry leaders with verified security clearances.

Wednesday
2 June 2010

Russian Missiles in Bulgaria Key for Joint Missile Defense - Expert
 (Novinite.com)
A Russian strategic studies scholar has suggested the full-fledged cooperation between NATO and Russia on missile defense in Europe would require stationing Russian missiles in Bulgaria and Romania.

UN Report Faults Prolific Use of Drone Strikes by US
(Los Angeles Times)
U.N. reporter Philip Alston calls on the U.S. to put the military in charge of the targeted killings program, which is shrouded in secrecy under the CIA and has prompted accountability questions.

Begich Requests $9.5 Million for KLC
(Kodiak Daily Mirror)
Earlier this year, the Kodiak Launch Complex lost its contract with the Missile Defense Agency, its only customer of the last five years and the source for the majority of the facility’s launches. The missile launch business will go to the Marshall Islands in a move to make missile defense tests more realistic.

Goodrich Unit Honored for Supply Program (Bizjournals.com) Atlantic Inertial Systems received a supplier excellence award for on-time delivery of gyroscopes for Raytheon's Patriot missile program.  

DDG 1000 Could Get New Missile-Defense Radar
(DefenseNews.com - Subscription)
The new Air Missile Defense Radar (AMDR) system is currently in the early stages of development. The Navy plans to fit the radar, which will be designed from the start to handle ballistic missile defense, into new Flight III versions of its venerable DDG 51-class destroyer.

DoD: Total F-35 Price Tag Could Reach $382B
(Marine Corps Times)
Senior Pentagon officials announced the F-35 fighter and five other major weapon systems have surpassed a legal cost threshold, while also criticizing the review process that triggers the “Nunn-McCurdy breaches.” The Army’s Advanced Threat Infrared Countermeasures/Common Missile Warning System, designed to take out infrared homing surface-to-air missile attacks on helicopters also made the list.

Why Turkey Needs
A Light Touch
(The Atlantic)
For those conservatives who want to see Turkey's ambassador to the U.S. sent home or the U.S. ambassador to Turkey recalled, consider this: the only realistic hope for any sort of missile defense shield over Europe all but requires the U.S. to place its highly advanced AN/TPY-2/TPSX X-band radar system in Turkey, or in space. And Russia has made it clear that a space-based radar system would violate its interpretation of the START II missile defense treaty.

GOP Lawmaker Still Worried About Phased Adaptive Approach
(InsideDefense - Subscription)
“The phased adaptive approach for missile defense in Europe is not planned to cover the US homeland until 2020; yet the ICBM threat from Iran could ...

Tuesday
1 June 2010

Russian "RESET":
A Missile Ruse
(Tribune Review)
The Obama administration's latest "reset" with Russia will allow the world's "Arms-R-Us" supplier to provide sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles to Iran reportedly as part of a deal to secure sanctions against Tehran.

Army Space and Missile Defense Command Engineer Charged with Accepting Bribes
(Media Newswire -
Press Release)
Federal prosecutors today charged a Scottsboro man with accepting bribes when he worked as an engineer with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command in Huntsville and with evading payment of taxes on the bribery income.

Despite Flotilla Attack, Joint US-Israeli Military Efforts Continue
(Politics Daily - Blog)
Joint U.S.-Israeli military operations, training and weapons development are likely to continue despite the global furor at Israel's deadly raid on the Gaza-bound Turkish aid ship the Mavi Marmara on Monday.

Three Political Casualties
of the Flotilla Raid
(The Atlantic)
The third casualty will be American missile defense in Europe. It’s in Israel's interest for the U.S. to continue to build a missile defense interest throughout Eurasia. Israel has been frustrated with the pace of the joint development missile, the ARROW-3 that the U.S. and Israel are fielding.

Insider View: Reinforcing US-Czech Ties, An Interview with Alexandr Vondra
(Central Europe Digest)
Even during Iraq, Afghanistan and – most recently – during the missile defense talks, this principle of solidarity and shared values with our key allies has been the substance of the transatlantic bargain since the end of the Cold War.

Czech Agency: Russian Spies Less Active
(eTaiwan News)
Czech intelligence officials say Russian agents have reduced their activities in the country since President Barack Obama abandoned Bush-era plans for missile defense systems in Poland and the Czech Republic.