U.S. Missile Defense Exercises Begin

The U.S. Defense Department is testing its missile defense system in preparation for the program’s expected activation later this year, the Associated Press reported Friday (see GSN, Oct. 5).

The exercises began in early October and call for testing crews and activating sensors and command centers to ensure they accurately transfer information, Missile Defense Agency spokesman Rick Lehner said Friday. The exercises are likely to continue for several more weeks, he added.

“No problems have cropped up,” Lehner said.

Five ballistic missile interceptors have been installed in silos at Fort Greely, Alaska, but their arming pins have not been removed, said Lehner. The system, therefore, is not considered to be “on alert” yet, he said.

The Defense Department expects the system to go on alert by the end of the year, but has not set a date (Associated Press/Yahoo!News, Oct. 8).

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