Congress Must Expand the Nation's Limited Defensive Capability Against Ballistic Missiles

In March 9 testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee,Lieutenant General Henry A. Obering, the Director of the MissileDefense Agency, stated that his agency made history in 2004 byestablishing a "limited defensive capability" for protecting theUnited States against ballistic missile attack. Congress, as itundertakes the task of drafting the fiscal year (FY) 2007 DefenseAuthorization bill, must recognize that this defense is very thinand needs to be strengthened. It can do so by making severalsignificant changes in the missile defense budget, such as addingfunds to accelerate the concurrent testing and operation programfor the long-range missile defense interceptors in Alaska andCalifornia and to improve and expand the sea-based interceptors onthe Navy's AEGIS ships. Looking to the future, Congress shoulddirect the Agency to start serious work on placing missile defenseinterceptors in space.

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