BALLISTIC MISSILE DEFENSE

By David Martin
Deputy for Strategic Relations
U.S. Missile Defense Agency

The United States plans to work closely with its allies, as well as allied militaries and
industries to develop an integrated, global system “to detect, track, intercept, and destroy
threat ballistic missiles of all ranges in all phases of flight,” says David Martin, Deputy for
Strategic Relations at the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. The fundamental goal of the
planned system, he says, “is to defend the forces and territories of the United States, its
allies, and friends as soon as practicable.”

hile the end of the Cold War signaled a

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order to defend against the attack, and only a small
reduction in the likelihood of global area can be defended. Countermeasures are less of a
conflict, the threat from foreign missiles challenge in this phase. Defensive systems designed
has grown steadily as sophisticated missile for the terminal phase are most effective in protecting
technology becomes available on a broader scale. At smaller target areas such as fixed installations,
least 25 countries now possess — or are acquiring — posts, and airfields, or troop concentrations and
nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons. staging areas.
Since 1980, ballistic missiles have been used in six
regional conflicts. The proliferation of weapons of The mid-course phase — where intercepts take place
mass destruction and the ballistic and cruise missiles in space (not inside the earth’s atmosphere) — allows
that could deliver them pose a direct and immediate the largest opportunity to intercept an incoming
threat to the security of U.S. military forces and missile. At this point the missile has stopped
assets in overseas theaters of operation, our allies and thrusting, so it follows a more predictable path.
friends, as well as our own country. In response to Since the interceptor has longer to engage, fewer
this changing geopolitical environment, the interceptor sites are needed to defend larger areas.
Department of Defense has restructured its approach Unfortunately, a longer period in space provides an
to building ballistic missile defense. attacker the opportunity to deploy countermeasures
against a defensive system. However, the defensive
ROBUST DEFENSE-IN-DEPTH system also has more time to observe and
discriminate countermeasures from the warhead.
In general, ballistic missiles share a common,
fundamental element — they follow a ballistic The boost phase is the portion of a missile’s flight
trajectory that includes three phases. These phases in which it is thrusting up through the atmosphere
are the boost phase, the mid-course phase, and the seeking the velocity needed to reach its target. This
terminal phase. Traditionally, missile defenses — phase usually lasts between one to five minutes,
like the former U.S. Safeguard system, the Russian depending on the range of the missile. Intercepting
Moscow ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) system, and a missile in its boost phase is the ideal solution for a
today’s Patriot system — have operated in the ballistic missile defense. If the missile is carrying
terminal phase. The terminal phase of a ballistic a chemical, biological, or nuclear weapon, any
missile’s flight is normally less than one minute long, remaining debris will fall short of the target,
depending on the threat range. Therefore, defensive sometimes even on the country that launched
systems must be very close to the missile’s target in the missile.
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But boost-phase defense introduces significant system, PAC-3 (Patriot Advanced Capability-3), the
challenges. First, the boost phase is relatively short. Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS),
This means that sensors will have to detect a launch and a sea-based terminal defense capability. PAC-3,
and relay accurate information about the missile very the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) most mature
quickly. Second, an interceptor missile would have to developmental product line, takes advantage of a
be very close and/or extremely fast to intercept the significant Patriot legacy of force structure, against
accelerating missile. An effective boost-phase short- and medium-range ballistic missile threats as
defense high-energy laser system could reduce or well as cruise missiles, anti-radiation missiles, and
eliminate several of the complications associated advanced aircraft. PAC-3, a “hit-to-kill” interceptor,
with employing boost-phase interceptor missiles. has achieved a better than 90 percent success rate in
its developmental test phase. Operational tests are
THE U.S. APPROACH TO BALLISTIC still being analyzed and a production decision is
MISSILE DEFENSE (BMD) expected in the near future. We anticipate that allies
who have Patriot in their forces will also field the
The fundamental goal of the planned BMD system is new round.
to defend the forces and territories of the United
States, its allies, and friends as soon as practicable. The Sea-Based Terminal program, which is intended
The planned architecture will be composed of a to build on a strong AEGIS (advanced shipboard anti-
single, fully integrated, BMD system that will be air warfare area defense) Weapon System and
capable of engaging all classes of ballistic missile Standard Missile infrastructure, remains a critical
threats, from short-range tactical missiles to missiles requirement despite cancellation of the Navy Area
with intercontinental ranges. The program will Program (Standard Missile-2 Block IV A). The
increase system robustness by incrementally program will provide missile defense for forward-
deploying layered defenses that use complementary deployed wartime expeditionary assets. Experiments
interceptors, sensors, and battle management and are planned that are aimed at expanding the mission
command-and-control (BMC2) systems to provide envelope of today’s Standard Missile-2, Block IV, and
multiple engagement opportunities against the new Standard Missile-3 to determine the
threatening targets in boost, mid-course, and terminal suitability of this combination of interceptors in
phases of flight. This approach is structured to adjust providing this capability.
more easily to both uncertainties in the evolution of
the threat as well as changing engineering, schedule, Finally, the tri-national (United States-Germany-
and cost uncertainties inherent in building missile Italy) MEADS will offer a significant improvement
defense systems. The Department of Defense will in tactical mobility and strategic deployability over
pursue promising technologies and approaches to comparable missile systems, and robust, 360-degree
BMD to hasten the fielding date of an effective, protection for maneuvering forces and other critical
reliable, and affordable system. These promising forward-deployed assets against short- and medium-
technologies and approaches include kinetic (hit-to- range ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and other air-
kill) and directed-energy systems with various land-, breathing threats throughout all phases of tactical
sea-, and air-based options. But we also want to operations. MEADS initially will replace aging air
make systems available to our military commanders defense systems (like Improved Hawk) but, in the
that are mature and adequately tested in operationally longer term, will begin to replace Patriot as the latter
realistic situations. reaches the end of its operational life.

The Terminal Defense Segment (TDS) provides The mission of the THAAD System is to defend
defensive capabilities that engage and destroy against short-to-intermediate range ballistic missiles
threatening ballistic missiles in the terminal phase of at long ranges and high altitudes. THAAD’s
their trajectory. The primary elements in the TDS are capability will protect U.S. and allied armed forces,
the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) broadly dispersed assets, and population centers

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against missile attacks. The Arrow Weapon System ballistic flight period of the mid-course phase.
(AWS) (a U.S.-supported Israeli development Typically the entire boost phase occurs at altitudes of
program) provides Israel today with a capability to less than 200 kilometers and within the first 60-to-
defend against short- and medium-range ballistic 300 seconds of flight. To engage ballistic missiles in
missiles. this phase, quick reaction times, high confidence
decision-making, and very high acceleration/high
The Mid-course Defense Segment (MDS) develops burnout velocity capabilities are needed. The
increasingly robust capabilities for countering potential alternatives in the Boost Phase Defense
ballistic missiles, particularly longer-range threats, in Segment (BDS) are directed-energy systems, notably
the mid-course stage of flight. The MDS could the Airborne Laser (ABL) and a sea-based
provide some early defense capability, if needed, interceptor. The ABL is the more advanced of these
based on past developmental successes. The primary options; a demonstration aircraft is being
elements of the MDS are the Ground-Based reconfigured today, and the various laser and optical
Midcourse Defense (GMD) and the Sea-Based subsystems are already developed. A first lethal
Midcourse Defense (SMD), which are the successors demonstration flight test of the ABL with a target
to the National Missile Defense and Navy Theater booster is currently planned for late 2004.
Wide programs. The SMD, when accompanied by
GMD, could provide a complete and flexible mid- CONCLUSION
course layer. Sea-based elements also offer the
opportunity to engage missiles in early ascent, The integrated global BMD System will incorporate
thereby reducing the overall BMD System’s incremental capabilities to detect, track, intercept,
susceptibility to countermeasures. The GMD has and destroy threat ballistic missiles of all ranges in
now achieved four (of six) successful hit-to-kill all phases of flight using kinetic- and directed-energy
intercepts against strategic-range targets at the kill capabilities and various deployment approaches.
Pacific-based Ronald Reagan Missile Site. We have MDA plans to develop and field these capabilities
also demonstrated two successful hit-to-kill intercepts working closely with allies, their industries, and their
from AEGIS cruisers. militaries. Accordingly, MDA has implemented a
flexible international acquisition strategy to provide a
The Boost Defense Segment (BDS) provides defense timely, capable system that paces the evolving threat.
capabilities that engage and destroy threat ballistic Thus the approach protects against uncertainty and
missiles in the boost phase of their trajectory. The ensures that the United States will have some ability
boost phase of the ballistic missile trajectory is to defend itself, its deployed forces, allies, and
defined as the part of a missile’s flight lasting from friends from a ballistic missile attack should the
the moment of launch through the completion of need arise. _
propulsion systems burn, when the missile enters the

U. S. FOREIGN POLICY AGENDA AN ELECTRONIC JOURNAL OF THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE VOLUME 7 • NUMBER 2 • JULY 2002

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