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U.S. Establishes Missile Defense Agency
By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer
posted: 04:00 pm ET
07 January 2002
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BOULDER, Colo. -- U.S. President Bush's push to create a multi-layered defense system -- including use of spaceborne hardware -- took a step forward last week when Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization (BMDO) was redesignated the Missile Defense Agency (MDA). The newly established agency is to focus on four top priorities: - To defend the United States, deployed forces, allies and friends from ballistic missile attack.
- To employ a Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) against all ranges of threats, one that is layered to intercept missiles in all phases of their flight, from right after liftoff, to arcing over the Earth, and during the terminal phase of the rocket's flight.
- To enable the Services to field elements of the overall BMDS as soon as practicable.
- To develop and test technologies, use prototype and test assets to provide early capability, if necessary, and improve the effectiveness of deployed capability by inserting new technologies as they become available or when the threat warrants an accelerated capability.
The switch from BMDO to agency status, said the Pentagon, underscores the national priority and mission emphasis on missile defense. The current director of BMDO, Air Force Lt. Gen. Ronald T. Kadish, has been given a new title: Director, Missile Defense Agency. Kadish's task is to establish a single program to develop an integrated missile defense system. Part of that system is now blueprinted to involve spaceborne sensors and a constellation of space-based laser platforms.Also being spearheaded by the Missile Defense Agency is a cooperative U.S.-Russian effort, a joint satellite project tagged the Russian-American Observation Satellite, or RAMOS for short.
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