Missile Defense

Airborne Laser Lets Rip on First Target

Greg Schnippel — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:56:26 -0800

The Airborne Laser (ABL) was fired from a stationary plane at a target on the ground just a few metres away, marking a milestone for the weapon which planners hope can be used for patrolling the skies, zapping missiles, aircraft or even satellites in low Earth orbit with invisible, ultrapowerful laser beams.

U.S. Shoots Downs Missile in Simulation of Long-Range Attack

Greg Schnippel — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 13:53:04 -0800

The U.S. military yesterday shot down a missile in a test simulating a long-range ballistic missile attack by a potential adversary such as North Korea or Iran, senior defense officials said.

What a Single Nuclear Warhead Could Do

Greg Schnippel — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 23:06:00 -0800

The author warns that a single Iranian nuclear missile could be strategically launched over a dense population and economic center in a way that would devastate the U.S. economically and strategically. He argues for multi-layered space-based missile defense as the most robust solution.

U.S. Missile-Warning Satellite Fails

Greg Schnippel — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:48:01 -0800

A U.S. DSP military satellite used to track enemy missiles stopped working in mid-September, underscoring the urgent need to keep a program for replacement satellites on track, according to defense analysts.

Israel, Germany develop nuclear warning system

Greg Schnippel — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 19:22:52 -0800

Working in secret, Israel and Germany have jointly developed a nuclear missile detection system, according to the Defense News Web site. Code-named Project Bluebird, the system is based on the prototype of an aerial infrared sensor designed to identify a nuclear-tipped missile speeding toward a target amid a cluster of decoy missiles.

Pentagon Board says Weapon Program Cuts Essential

Greg Schnippel — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:29:28 -0800

A senior Pentagon advisory group, in a series of bluntly worded briefings, is warning President-elect Barack Obama that the Defense Department's current budget is "not sustainable," and he must scale back or eliminate some of the military's most prized weapons programs, including missile defense and space weapons.

Kremlin Signals Intent To Wait for Bush to Go on Missile Defense

Greg Schnippel — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 13:07:47 -0800

Russian leaders have decided essentially to put U.S. relations on hold until President-elect Barack Obama takes office in January, signaling the end to Bush administration proposals on missile defense and strategic arms control.

Report Warns of “Future Military Failure”

Greg Schnippel — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 20:41:51 -0800

The Defense Science Board released a sobering report that called for the incoming Obama administration to focus on a small but complex set of defense issues, with protection of the country against weapons of mass destruction as the top priority of the new secretary of defense.

Russia Warns of Missile Deployment

Greg Schnippel — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:42:54 -0800

In a wide-ranging attack on the United States as it elected a new president, the Russian leader Dmitri A. Medvedev warned that Moscow might deploy short-range missiles in the Baltic region to counter a perceived threat from a proposed American missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. The U.S. has stated that the missile defense system is needed to intercept missiles from states including Iran and does not threaten Russia.

Congress Approved Funding for Study of Space-Based Missile Defense

Greg Schnippel — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:35:30 -0700

Congress voted recently to approve $5 million for a study of space-based missile defenses, the first time the development of space weapons will be considered since similar work was canceled in the 1990s.

Appropriation of the money for the study was tucked away in a little-noticed provision of the Continuing Resolution passed recently by Congress and followed two years in which Congress rejected $10 million sought for the study.