Space-Based Missile Defense Funding Planned for FY07

The U.S. Defense Department is seeking $45 million in fiscal 2007 to begin production of a space-based missile defense “test bed,” Reuters reported yesterday (see GSN, April 28).

The initial plan calls for a complex carrying possibly carrying no more than two interceptors that could destroy ballistic missiles fired at the United States.

“I’m supportive of creating a test bed,” Defense Undersecretary for Acquisition Kenneth Krieg told Reuters. “And then we’ll see what we do with it afterwards.”

“I think increasing the number of [missile defense] options we have to choose from is generally a good idea,” he said.

Placing U.S. interceptors in space could push China and Russia to deploy additional long-range missiles “to make sure that our defense did not work against them,” said John Pike of GlobalSecurity.org.

“The concern is that you’re going to wind up spending a lot of money and all that’s going to happen is you’re going to have more nuclear weapons aimed at American cities,” he said (Jim Wolf, Reuters, May 10).

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