Adak Island in the Aleutian Islands chain off the coast of Alaska has been chosen as the site for the Sea-Based X-Band Radar system, a component in the planned U.S. missile defense system, military officials said Friday (see GSN, July 24).

Adak was among six sites considered for the X-Band Radar.  It was selected because of the infrastructure already present on the island and its far northwest location, Missile Defense Agency spokesman Rick Lehner said.  The island’s western location was preferable because it will give the radar system more time to distinguish real ballistic missile warheads from decoys, Lehner said.

The island once supported both U.S. Army and Navy operations, so it already has a 7,900-foot runway, a deep-water port and other useful facilities.

“It was just a very good place for us geographically and operationally,” Lehner said (Mary Pemberton, Associated Press/Juneau Empire, Aug. 17).

The X-Band Radar is scheduled to begin operation in 2005, according to Agence France-Presse.  Tracking data from the system will be transmitted to ground-based missile interceptors deployed at Fort Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Aug. 15).

Area residents near Everett, Wash., another of the six sites that was considered for the X-Band Radar, have expressed relief that their city was not picked, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer (see GSN, June 19).

“I think we’re all breathing a sigh of relief today,” Representative Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), whose district includes Everett, said in a press release.  “Our local communities made it clear they did not want SBX in their back yard,” he said (Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Aug. 16).

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

HOME  |  CONTACT US  |  GET INVOLVED  |  SITE MAP

Back to top