Senate Panel Approves Missile Defense Agency Budget
Global Security Newswire
September. 10, 2009
The Senate Appropriations Defense Subcommittee yesterday signed off on $7.7 billion in funding for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency in the next budget year …
The money is included in the fiscal 2010 defense appropriations bill, which was scheduled to be considered today by the full Appropriations Committee.
“The need for a robust national missile defense has never been more apparent than it is today,” Senator Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said in a statement. “Threats from rogue nations that seek to do America and her allies harm must be countered. This funding will help ensure the safety and security of our country.”
The agency is charged with developing and deploying “an integrated, layered, ballistic missile defense system to defend the United States, its deployed forces, allies, and friends against all ranges of enemy ballistic missiles in all phases of flight,” according to its Web site.
The defense legislation provides $846 million for Ground-based Midcourse Defense, which could be used to destroy ballistic missiles in the middle range of flight, and $1.1 billion for the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense program, which could be used against weapons in the final phase of flight.
The Patriot Advanced Capability 3 program would receive $569 million, while $257.4 million would go to the Standard Missile 3 …
Meanwhile, the Defense Department has issued a $93 million contract for production of the new Standard Missile 6 …
The contract calls for defense firm Raytheon Missile Systems by March 2012 to deliver 19 SM-6 missiles, along with additional components and containers for the weapons. Further contracts are expected.
The Navy could use the ship-based SM-6 against short-range ballistic missiles, along with cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and other threats …
