ABM Treaty:  House Democrat Decides Against Appealing Lawsuit Dismissal

U.S. Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio), the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit to block the U.S. withdrawal from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, decided in mid-January to not appeal the dismissal of his lawsuit, Arms Control Today reported this month (see GSN, Jan. 9).

Kucinich, along with the 31 other representatives listed as co-plaintiffs in the suit, decided against appealing the dismissal because of what they considered to be positive aspects of the judge’s ruling, according to one of their lawyers.  In his ruling, Judge John Bates indicated that a court might need to address at some point whether congressional approval is needed before the United States withdraws from a treaty. 

The representatives also considered in their decision that a higher court might issue a more negative decision and that a higher court would be less likely to take up the issue now that more time has passed since the United States withdrew from the treaty (see GSN, June 13, 2002; Arms Control Today, March 2003).

For further information, see:

ABM Treaty Text and Associated Documents (U.S. Defense Department)

U.S. Fact Sheet on Withdrawal from ABM Treaty

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U.S. Plans:  Broken Chip Connectors Caused December Test Failure

A faulty computer chip connection caused last December’s test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system to fail, U.S. Missile Defense Agency officials said yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 11, 2002).

The exoatmospheric kill vehicle, built by Raytheon, failed to separate from its booster because it “didn’t get the proper signal to where it was going,” said agency Director Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish.

A “mechanical break” occurred in two “pins” that connect computer chips to a circuit board, Kadish said at a missile defense conference sponsored by the agency and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Defense officials have not yet determined why the pins broke, but the kill vehicle’s technology is sound and “there’s no reason to” consider changing it, he added.

Kadish also announced the establishment of an office to improve the agency’s quality control, which he said was the culprit in three failed midcourse defense test flights.

“There is no detail too small to worry about in this program,” Kadish said.

He also defended the White House proposal to bypass operational testing requirements to field the Ground-based Midcourse Defense and the Sea-based Midcourse Defense in 2004 (see GSN, Feb. 24).

“The best operational testing you can get is to have a system that people are using and improve it,” Kadish said (Marc Selinger, Aerospace Daily, March 4).

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Israel:  Reservists Called Up to Operate Patriot Missile Defense System

Israeli reserve soldiers are being called up to learn how to operate the second Patriot missile defense battery that Tel Aviv has received from Germany, Ha’aretz reported today (see GSN, Jan. 30).

Another Patriot battery from Germany is already up and running and U.S.-supplied Patriot batteries are being deployed around Tel Aviv today.

The Patriots are intended as a backup to the Arrow missile defense system (see GSN, Feb. 12).

Israeli defense officials are also worried about Syrian efforts to develop its Scud-D missiles, although there is no imminent sign of a confrontation between Syria and Israel, Ha’aretz reported (Amos Harel, Ha’aretz, March 4).

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U.S. Plans:  Airborne Laser System Is Overweight; Mission Expands Too

The U.S. Missile Defense Agency recently expanded the Airborne Laser’s requirements — the system must now be able to down intercontinental ballistic missiles — but the laser is already 5,000 pounds overweight and contractors have only produced six of 14 modules, Defense News reported today (see GSN, Jan. 6).

The system must weigh less than 175,000 pounds to be carried by a modified Boeing 747 cargo plane, but the first six components already weigh 180,000 pounds, U.S. officials said.

The system can still operate without the full complement of modules, but the laser beam would be weaker and the plane would need to fly closer to targets to be effective, according to Kumar Patel, a University of California physics professor.

Pentagon officials met Feb. 26 to discuss reducing the weight of the components, improving the laser’s optics and boosting the output of the existing components.

The weight issues would not affect the program’s survival, however.  “The promise of ABL in the larger context of U.S. strategic defense has, at this point, convinced everyone that it’s got to move ahead into fielding,” a senior Pentagon official said (Ratnam/Kaufman, Defense News, March 3).

Northrop Grumman’s Space Technology sector, meanwhile, delivered the Beacon Illuminator Laser to the Airborne Laser project.  The newly delivered component is designed to measure atmospheric changes that could throw off the Airborne Laser’s beam (Space & Missile, March 3).

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U.S. Plans:  Pentagon Testing Official Says Missile Defense Not Ready

In a report sent to Congress this month, the Pentagon’s top weapons testing official said the national missile defense system that the White House plans to deploy in 2004 “has yet to demonstrate significant operational capability” (see GSN, May 6, 2002).

The Ground-based Midcourse Defense system is still in its early stages and suffers “from a lack of production-representative test articles and test infrastructure limitations,” according to Thomas Christie, the Defense Department’s director of operational test and evaluation.

The report says that the testing limitations are a result of the Missile Defense Agency’s slow and cautious pace.

“The GMD program is taking a slower, more deliberate approach to testing to reduce both testing and program risk,” Christie said.

The report agrees with the Missile Defense Agency’s decision to stop intercept testing until an operational booster is developed, Inside Missile Defense reported.

Christie said the missile defense test bed, being built in Alaska, will answer some but not all questions about the program.

“Currently the planned test bed infrastructure for block 2004 includes hardware and software components that are in active development,” the report says.  “As the test bed matures and capabilities are demonstrated, an inherent defensive capability will develop.  However, it will be very difficult to estimate operational availability or performance in real engagement conditions.  This is a test bed, first and foremost,” the report adds (Thomas Duffy, Inside Missile Defense, Feb. 19).

Testing Waiver Sought

The Pentagon is currently seeking a waiver to exempt the missile defense system from standard testing requirements (see GSN, Feb. 14), a move that has raised concern from lawmakers and experts who recalled Pentagon efforts last year to reduce the information it provides to Congress on missile defense programs (see GSN, Aug. 9, 2002).

“The moves last year were just about reporting requirements.  This is different,” said Philip Coyle, director of operational testing and evaluation for the Defense Department from 1994 to 2001.  “This is about obeying the law.  Without these tests, we may never know whether this system works or not, and if they are done after this system is deployed, we won’t know until we’ve spent $70 billion on a Ground-based Missile Defense system,” he added.

Democratic Senators Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Carl Levin (Mich.) and Jack Reed (R.I.) have voiced their concerns with the proposed waiver.

“I believe that any deployed missile defense system must meet the same requirements and standards that we set for all other fully operational weapons systems.  Indeed, given the potential cost of a failure of missile defense, I believe that, if anything, it should be required to meet more stringent test standards than normally required,” Feinstein wrote in a letter to Rumsfeld Wednesday (Esther Schrader, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 24).

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Japan:  Tokyo to Deploy Missile Detection Satellites

A Japanese newspaper has reported that Japan is set to launch its first pair of intelligence satellites by the end of next month, the Chicago Tribune reported today (see GSN, Nov. 12, 2002).  Japan is scheduled to launch the two spy satellites March 28 and they will provide the country with a missile launch-detection capability, according to the Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Chicago Tribune, Feb. 23).  Currently, Japan is dependent on U.S. and French commercial satellites for intelligence information on objects such as North Korean missile launch pads, according to Agence France-Presse.

The first pair of spy satellites will also be equipped with optical sensors able to identify objects one-meter long, AFP reported.  Japan is also scheduled to launch three additional pairs of spy satellites by March 2007 (Agence-France Presse, Feb. 21).

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