Free Republic

In conjunction with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), U.S. Pacific Fleet ships and crews successfully completed a series of exercises to test the second generation Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) weapon system, Aegis BMD 4.0.1. This set of four exercises, designated FTX-06 Events 1-4, involved the tracking and simulated engagements of a variety of ballistic missile targets launched over the past several months from the Kauai Test Facility, co-located on the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), Barking Sands, Kauai. The Aegis BMD system is a critical component of the nation’s overall Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). FTX-06 Event 1, conducted...

(10-01) 21:19 PDT Washington -- Undersecretary of State Ellen Tauscher today defended President Obama's new plan for missile defenses in Europe, saying it provides more protection to the United States and its allies from potential Iranian attacks and does not abandon previous security commitments in the region. Tauscher, a former seven-term Democratic member of the House from Walnut Creek, told the House Armed Services Committee that Obama's plan is better adapted to the current state of the Iranian threat. New intelligence shows that Iran is developing short- and medium-range missiles faster than expected and long-range, intercontinental ballistic missiles more slowly,...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Ever since President Ronald Reagan proposed building a ballistic missile shield in 1983 to prevent a doomsday scenario, the idea has been dogged by an unanswered question: Will it work? The prime target during the Reagan era was Russian missiles. A scaled-down defensive system recently proposed by the Obama administration would aim to shoot down warheads from Iran, which has heightened concerns by building a clandestine uranium enrichment plant and test firing missiles this week with a range of up to 1,200 miles. But even as the U.S. prepares to meet on Thursday with Iranian officials in...

An American missile ship set to dock at Haifa Port on Monday is equipped with an anti-missile defense system that could be deployed in the region in the event of an Iranian missile attack against Israel. The USS San Jacinto is an AEGIS cruiser in the Ticonderoga Class and was commissioned in 1988. It carries the most advanced underwater surveillance system available today and is equipped with the AEGIS missile defense system, which was developed by Lockheed Martin to protect against aircraft and missiles. The ship will remain in Haifa for three days. While the IDF developed and operates the...