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Northrop Grumman Urges ABM Focus On Early Engagement And Flexibility
Washington DC (SPX) Apr 20, 2009 The U.S. government can get the most from valuable missile defense dollars by focusing on early intercept of hostile ballistic missiles through mobile and flexible defenses, according to Northrop Grumman. "A mobile, early intercept system stands to make the existing layer of defense much stronger while also being more affordable for taxpayers in the long run," said Larry Dodgen, who is responsible for coordinating the company's missile defense strategies as vice president of Northrop Grumman's Information Systems sector. He was commander of the U.S. Army's Space and Missile Defense Command / U.S. Army Forces Strategic Command before joining the company two years ago. His comments came during a media briefing Tuesday morning at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. "The most value for the dollar clearly lies in shooting down ballistic missiles as early as possible after they're launched, when they are most vulnerable and before they separate into numerous, hard-to-track objects," Dodgen said. "To do that, our nation needs defenses that can deploy quickly and engage early. This will be cost-effective, because more shooters and sensors are needed to destroy a missile during its latter stages of flight." Northrop Grumman is prime contractor for two U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) systems that have the strategic mobility and flexibility needed to more affordably enhance current defenses. They are: + Kinetic Energy Interceptors, a mobile, early engagement weapon system for vital regional defense on-demand to protect the homeland, allies and deployed forces overseas; and the + Space Tracking and Surveillance System, MDA's space-based sensing element, which will be the first system capable of providing worldwide coverage, tracking missiles through all phases of flight. "This is an opportune time to reassess the path forward and our overall missile defense strategy," Dodgen said. "Do we content ourselves with defenses primarily against two countries - North Korea and Iran - or do we shift to mobile capabilities that could strengthen existing defenses and at the same time prepare the country for emerging and more complex threats?" Dodgen contended that standing still in missile defense is falling behind because countries hostile to the U.S. are making rapid advances in ballistic missile and nuclear weapons technologies. "MDA has a portfolio of future programs with the capabilities needed to move forward. KEI and STSS are global for addressing shifting threats; mobile for responding from anywhere; layered for multiple shots at a target; and more affordable than maintaining fixed or ground-based missiles," he said. Related Links KEI and STSS Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com All about missiles at SpaceWar.com Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com
Outside View: Boost phase BMD -- Part 5
Arlington, Va. (UPI) Feb 2, 2009 In 1998 a U.S. presidential commission warned that the nuclear threat from "rogue states" such as North Korea was growing rapidly. In response, the Clinton administration proposed a $60 billion plan to build radars and interceptor missiles that could defend all 50 states against a limited nuclear attack. |
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