A top U.S. Army general called yesterday for the accelerated deployment of two U.S. missile defense systems — the Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and the Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) (see GSN, May 6, 2002).

The THAAD system should be deployed “as early as possible” to complement the Patriot missile interceptor systems already in use by the Army, said Army Lt. Gen. Joseph Cosumano, head of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command (see related GSN story, today).  The two systems are envisioned to work together, with the Patriot intercepting enemy missiles within the atmosphere and the THAAD system intercepting missiles above the atmosphere, according to Cosumano.

“We need that two-tiered, layered defense in the future,” Cosumano said, “so we would advocate any way to accelerate the fielding of THAAD.”

The Missile Defense Agency has indicated that the THAAD system could be ready to provide an emergency defense capability by the end of 2005, according to Aerospace Daily.

It would also be “very, very useful” to accelerate the MEADS deployment, which has a current fielding date of 2012, Cosumano said (see GSN, April 1; Marc Selinger, Aerospace Daily, April 25).

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