Nations Race to Produce ICBMs, U.S. General Says

A U.S. general said Sunday he sees nations such as Iran and North Korea racing to produce ICBMs that could carry nuclear warheads, Space & Missile Defense Report reported (see GSN, Jan. 30, 2007).

There were more than 120 ballistic missile tests in 2007, “which is more than we saw in previous years,” Lt. Gen. Kevin Campbell, head of the Army Space and Missile Defense Command, said during an event in Washington.

“I’ve looked at what’s going on around the globe, and to me it almost looks like a sprint, not a marathon, to get certain capabilities, particularly the intermediate range and the intercontinental range,” Campbell said.  “Countries are working very hard and diligently on those to ballistic missile programs.”

Iran is “very open” regarding its missile aspirations, he said.

“The most troubling (aspect) about Iran is what they could be doing in the nuclear business, combined with what they could be doing in the space business, which could then lead to an ICBM-class missile, perhaps with a nuclear tip on it,” Campbell said.

Iran has conducted test involving multiple missiles and has used a submerged submarine to launch a missile.  It has also announced its intention to develop a space program; technology used to launch a satellite is akin to that needed for an ICBM.

Western nations continue to be concerned about Tehran’s intentions with its nuclear program, which includes uranium enrichment (see related GSN story, today).

North Korea, which in 2006 tested a nuclear weapon, has “plenty” of intermediate-range missiles, Campbell said.  “We continue to see work that is geared toward developing an intercontinental ballistic missile,” he said.

Campbell also expressed concern about Syria’s missile efforts.

He pointed to U.S. missile defense programs as a necessary response to these potential threats, according to Space & Missile Defense Report.

Should work begin on European missile shield installations, “perhaps we can begin to devalue some of their (Iranian) missiles,” he said.  “It would be terribly short-sighted if we didn’t move toward Europe and close the door.”

The Bush administration expects to soon seal a deal to place an early warning radar in the Czech Republic.  Negotiations continue on installation of 10 U.S. missile interceptors in Poland (see GSN, June 12).

In the event of a missile attack, European defenses could give U.S. leaders time to consider responses other than a retaliatory nuclear strike, Campbell said.

More interceptors ultimately will also be needed for regional missile defense systems such as the Aegis and the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, he said (Space & Missile Defense Report I, June 16).

Meanwhile, an independent expert said this month there is value in expanding the types of ballistic missile defenses carried by U.S. Navy vessels, Space & Missile Defense Report reported.

“The Navy should consider exploring other complementary interceptor options if it aims to be effective at more than regional/theater missile defense around the Asian and European perimeter,” Merrick Carey, chief executive officer of the Lexington Institute, wrote in a June 2 issue brief.

“The Kinetic Energy Interceptor could offer one such capability,” he said.  “It is probably too large to be accommodated aboard existing destroyers and cruisers without extensive and expensive modifications.  But there are other hull options that might be worth exploring — converted Trident submarines, amphibious hulls, our next-generation cruiser, CGX.”

The Kinetic Energy Interceptor is intended to be capable of destroying missiles in several phases of flight.  It remains in development.

While the Airborne Laser program could also address missiles in their boost phase, the energy interceptor could be considered as a weapon against missiles in the midcourse phase of flight.

“In today’s context, it makes far more sense to think in terms of a portfolio of missile defense capabilities that can range from theater to intercontinental, from boost to terminal, and potentially handle rogue states as well as emerging great powers like China and Russia,” Carey stated.

Ships offer a mobility that might make them less vulnerable to attacks than land-based missile shield installations, he said (Space & Missile Defense Report II, June 16).

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