THIRD INTERCEPTOR SITE ANALYSIS FINALIZED
The much debated "third site" for U.S. missile defense is a step closer to finding a home on the East Coast. The Defense Department has completed a review, mandated by Congress in the 2013 National Defense Authorization Act, of potential sites for enhanced East Coast defense against intercontinental ballistic missiles. Despite the congressional request, the military has maintained that existing sites in California and Alaska provide sufficient protection from threats emanating from North Korea or Iran. Nevertheless, the Pentagon's review has identified a number of feasible candidate locations: Fort Drumm, New York; Camp Ethan Allen Training Site, Vermont; Naval Air Stating SERE Training Area, Maine; Camp Ravenna Joint Training Center, Ohio; and the Fort Custer Training Center, Michigan. This spring, the Missile Defense Agency will conduct an environmental impact study on a pared down list of possible sites. (Global Security Newswire, January 9, 2014)
IRAN SAYS ALL OF ISRAEL WITHIN HEZBOLLAH MISSILE REACH...
Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Aerospace Division, has claimed that Tehran’s chief terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, now has the ability to strike any target in Israel. Slain Hezbollah commander Hassan al-Laquis is credited for fostering a number of unspecified enhancements to the group's arsenal - upgrades which, Hajizadeh says, now allow the Lebanese militia to hold all of Israeli territory at risk. (Washington Times, January 11, 2014)
...AS ISRAEL EYES LASER INTERCEPTION
Israel, meanwhile, is moving ahead with plans to incorporate a new advancement in its missile defense architecture using laser technology. The new “Iron Beam” laser is intended to be integrated into the highly successful Iron Dome interceptor system and will target incoming rockets and mortar bombs that fly on a shallow trajectory (ranges up to 4.5 miles). The U.S.-funded system, made by Israeli defense industry giant Rafael, will be unveiled at the upcoming Singapore Air Show. (Reuters, January 19, 2014)
TEHRAN PONDERS RUSSIAN S-300 ALTERNATIVE
Western sanctions and international pressure on Russia have stymied Moscow’s ability to provide its advanced S-300 anti-missile system to Iran - at least so far. The $800 million deal inked in 2007 between Tehran and Moscow has been permanently on hold amid lingering questions about the aim of Iran’s nuclear program. Various factions in Iran’s government are now openly debating whether it might be necessary to pursue a substitute air defense system as a defense for the country's nuclear sites. However, at least some in Tehran reportedly hold the view that the current lessening of sanctions against Iran as a result of nuclear negotiations with the P5+1 might give Moscow a freer hand in the future, and at long last kickstart the needed S-300 deliveries. (Defense News, January 13, 2014)
BEIJING LEADS THE HIGH-SPEED ARMS RACE...
China has taken significant steps to bolster its offensive missile program with the test launch of a hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV). Beijing’s WU-14 HGV is a missile capable of traveling at extremely high speeds (potentially as fast as Mach 12) with a conventional or possibly nuclear warhead. Rick Fisher, a China military analyst at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, explains that “the beauty of the HGV is that it can perform hypersonic precision strikes while maintaining a relatively low altitude and flat trajectory, making it far less vulnerable to missile defenses.” Both the U.S. and Russia are also experimenting with HGV weapons. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin describes HGV weapons as “a revolution in military science” and “missile defense killers.” Former U.S. Air Force Officer Mark Stokes has cautioned that the Chinese weapons now in development reach speeds that could pose a serious challenge to U.S. mid-course missile defense systems. A similar U.S. program now in development, known as Prompt Global Strike, is intended to provide the U.S. military with the ability to strike anywhere in the world within one hour, within 10-15 years. (Washington Free Beacon, January 13, 2014)
...WHILE EXPORTING LONG RANGE MISSILE TECHNOLOGY
Pakistan and Iran's offensive missile programs have both benefited from Chinese missile proliferation, according to a recently released Congressional Research Service (CRS) study. The CRS study states, “Unclassified intelligence reports told Congress that China was a 'key supplier' of technology, particularly with [Chinese] entities providing nuclear and missile-related technology to Pakistan and missile-related technology to Iran." Despite several entities in China being sanctioned by the U.S. for weapons proliferation on 16 occasions since 2009, the PRC has not drastically modified its behavior. China is not party to the prominent international arrangements which seek to limit the spread of long range missile technology. Bejing has, however, signed on to UN Security Council resolutions attempting to discourage Tehran’s nuclear weapon and ballistic missile activities. (Global Security Newswire, January 13, 2014)
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