Satellite intercept shows missile defense need

The Center for Security Policy commends the United States Navy for Wednesday’s successful shoot-down of a failing spy satellite that could have posed a threat to human health and American national security had it fallen to earth.  The operation validates the Center’s longstanding support for and confidence in sea-based missile defense and its evolving capability to protect the American people. 

The intercept by a sea-based anti-missile missile also demonstrates the utter unworkability — as well as the undesirability — of campaigns being promoted by, among others, the Russians and Chinese governments seeking to prohibit the deployment of anti-satellite weaponry and other steps that purportedly would prevent the "militarization of outer space."   The fact is that there are myriad ways to interfere with satellites and any such ban would be unverifiable, unenforceable and one-sided as enemies of this country would be sure to violate it.

[More]The purpose of the SM-3 missile launch – conducted from the USS Lake Erie, northwest of Hawaii – was to destroy a U.S. spy satellite that had failed to achieve its intended orbit shortly after launch in late 2006.  The satellite, fueled with hydrazine, could have posed health risks had the satellite landed in a populated area.  Had it survived reentry, the sensitive technology aboard could have been compromised.  Instead, it appears that the missile scored a direct hit on the satellite’s hydrazine tank at 133 nautical miles above the Pacific Ocean.   

The success of this operation underscores the wisdom of President Bush in undertaking to withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and to begin deployment of in particular sea-based missile defenses.  It also serves to highlight the urgency of expanding the number of these systems in the world’s oceans, especially off of the east coast of the United States, to counter potential ballistic missile threats from rogue nations such as Iran and North Korea. 

In light of the success of yesterday’s intercept, the Center and others committed to fielding robust missile defenses urge the Bush Administration to work with the Congress to add $250 million in additional budgetary requests during FY 2009 and 2010 for the following purposes:

• Nine additional Aegis ships deployed to the Atlantic with missile defense capability by the end of 2011;
• Increase the SM-3 interceptor production rate to four per month;
• Provide for rapid deployment of SM-2 near-term terminal defense;
• Provide for an East Coast Test Range to defend against SCUD and other short-range missiles off the East Coast of the United States; 
• Provide capability for Aegis ships to intercept missiles at the early flight stages after launches from the Middle East or North Korea at the United States and Europe;
• Provide for initial development of a light-weight advanced technology kill vehicle (ATKV) for the Standard Missile, Block II; and
• Provide support to Combatant Commanders to improve the ability to address midcourse countermeasures, operations support, and training.