US Missile Defense Deployment to Guam

As long as it doesn't capsize the island, sending missile defenses to Guam over the Nork threat is probably a good idea.

The United States said it would soon send a missile defense system to Guam to defend it from North Korea, as the U.S. military adjusts to what Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called a "real and clear danger" from Pyongyang.
Hours later, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said North Korea had moved what appeared to be a mid-range Musudan missile to its east coast. It was not clear if the North planned to fire the rocket or was just putting it on display as a show of force, one South Korean government source was quoted as saying.

Here's the official DoD statement on the Missile Defense Deployment

Department of Defense Announces Missile Defense Deployment
The Department of Defense will deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) ballistic missile defense system to Guam in the coming weeks as a precautionary move to strengthen our regional defense posture against the North Korean regional ballistic missile threat.
The THAAD system is a land-based missile defense system that includes a truck-mounted launcher, a complement of interceptor missiles, an AN/TPY-2 tracking radar, and an integrated fire control system. This deployment will strengthen defense capabilities for American citizens in the U.S. Territory of Guam and U.S. forces stationed there.
The United States continues to urge the North Korean leadership to cease provocative threats and choose the path of peace by complying with its international obligations. The United States remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and stands ready to defend U.S. territory, our allies, and our national interests.

By: Brant

Successful Anti-Missile Test?

The DoD is saying that the Ground-Based Interceptor has completed a successful flight test.

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) successfully completed a flight test of a three-stage ground-based interceptor (GBI), launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., at 2 p.m. (PST) today.

Data from this flight test will be used to evaluate the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle system performance in a flight environment. If a target missile were present, the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle would collide directly with the threat warhead to perform a hit-to-kill intercept. Engineering data from this test will be used to improve confidence for future intercept missions.

A target missile launch was not planned for this flight test. After performing fly out maneuvers, the three-stage booster deployed the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle to a designated point in space. After separating from the booster, the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle executed a variety of pre-planned maneuvers to collect performance data in space.

Initial indications are that all components performed as designed. Program officials will assess and evaluate system performance based upon telemetry and other data obtained during the test.

Today’s event, designated Ground-Based Midcourse Defense Control Test Vehicle (GM CTV)-01, is part of an extensive test series initiated after the Flight Test Ground-Based Interceptor (FTG)-06a failure in December 2010. The Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle flown during GM CTV-01 was modified based on findings from the FTG-06a Failure Review Board. This test is the critical first step in returning GMD to successful intercept testing.

By: Brant

Another Iranian Test-Fire

This one appear to be legit, and actually has real missiles being fired, rather than photoshopped into place.

Iran said on Tuesday it had successfully tested medium-range missiles capable of hitting Israel in response to threats of military action against the country, Iranian media reported.
Israel says it could attack Iran if diplomacy fails to force it to halt its disputed nuclear energy program. The United States also has military force on the table as a last resort, but U.S. officials have repeatedly encouraged the Israelis to be patient while new sanctions against Iran take effect.
The Islamic Republic announced the "Great Prophet 7" missile exercise on Sunday after a European Union embargo against Iranian crude oil purchases took full effect after another fruitless round of big powers talks with Tehran.
Iran's official English-language Press TV said the Shahab 3 missile with a range of 1,300 km - able to reach Israel - were tested along with the shorter-range Shahab 1 and 2.
"The main aim of this drill is to demonstrate the Iranian nation's political resolve to defend vital values and national interests," Revolutionary Guards Deputy Commander Hossein Salami was quoted by Press TV as saying.
He said the tests were in response to Iran's enemies who talk of a "military option being on the table". "The maneuvers are an answer to the rude words spoken against Iran," Fars news agency quoted him as saying.

By: Brant

US DoD Funding for Israel's Iron Dome?

The Pentagon wants to ship more money to Israel for the Iron Dome.

The Pentagon will press Congress for more money for Israel’s Iron Dome system designed to intercept short-range rockets and mortars, a boost for Israel as the Obama administration tries to dissuade the Mideast ally from launching a potential unilateral strike on Iran.

The announcement from the Pentagon on Tuesday also comes as Obama has faced election-year criticism from Republican presidential candidates and GOP lawmakers that administration support for a longtime friend has been inadequate.

“Supporting the security of the state of Israel is a top priority of President Obama and Secretary (Leon) Panetta,” Pentagon press secretary George Little said in a statement. “The Department of Defense has been in conversations with the government of Israel about U.S. support for the acquisition of additional Iron Dome systems and intends to request an appropriate level of funding from Congress to support such acquisitions based on Israeli requirements and production capacity.”

The Pentagon cited the effectiveness of the system, which in recent weeks intercepted more than 80 percent of the nearly 300 rockets and mortars fired by Palestinian militants from Gaza at southern Israel.

Here's the official DoD Statement by Pentagon Press Secretary George Little on Iron Dome


By: Brant

USN IDs Ships Heading to Rota, Spain

The destroyers are part of the forward missile-defense force and are pretty potent in other actions, too.

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today the four Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyers which will be forward deployed to Rota, Spain. The four include three from Norfolk, Va; the USS Ross, the USS Donald Cook, and the USS Porter, and one from Mayport, Fla., the USS Carney. The ships are in support of President Obama’s European Phased Adaptive Approach to enhance the security of the European region.

“We welcome Spain’s partnership in stationing four U.S. Navy Aegis ships at Naval Station Rota,” said Mabus. “We have a long history of cooperation between our two countries and we have developed significant interoperability between our naval forces.”

These multi-mission ships will perform a myriad of tasks, including the full spectrum of maritime security operations, bi-lateral and multi-lateral training exercises, NATO operations and deployments, and NATO missile defense.

Ross and Donald Cook will arrive in fiscal 2014 and Carney and Porter in fiscal 2015.

Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta initially announced the stationing of four Aegis ships to Rota Oct. 5, 2011, in Brussels, Belgium.

“By hosting these ships, Spain will continue its vital role in enhancing the security of the European region, the Mediterranean Basin, and the Atlantic Ocean,” said Panetta in an Oct. 5, 2011, statement. “The agreement also enables the United States to provide rapid and responsive support to the U.S. Africa and U.S. Central Commands, as needed.”

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By: Brant

Royal Navy's New Anti-Missile Missile

And it's supersonic, too. Oooooohhh

A new air defence system that can destroy enemy missiles travelling at supersonic speeds has been revealed by the Royal Navy.

Sea Ceptor missiles fired from warships will reach speeds of up to Mach 3 and protect an area of around 500 sq miles.

The £483 million contract to develop the defence system has been awarded to MBDA (UK).

The Ministry of Defence said the five-year project would mean continued employment for around 500 workers.

Facilities across the UK including at Stevenage in Hertfordshire, Filton in South Gloucestershire and Lostock in Bolton will be used to build the missile system.

Defence Equipment Minister Peter Luff said: "The development of this missile system is a huge boost to the UK's world-leading missile industry and once again proves our commitment to providing battle-winning technology to our armed forces."

To start with, Sea Ceptor will be used on the Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates, but in future it could be adapted for use by the Army and RAF.

So when is someone going to make an anti-anti-missile missile?

By: Brant

Boeing Keeps Missile Defense Work

Hey, for $3.48 billion, you'd want the contract, too.

Boeing Co beat out Lockheed Martin to retain its position as the prime contractor for the U.S. long-range missile shield, the Pentagon said on Friday.
The U.S. Defense Department said it was awarding Boeing a $3.48 billion, seven-year contract to develop, test, engineer and manufacture missile defense systems.
A team led by Lockheed Martin Corp and Raytheon Co had vied with Boeing to expand and maintain the Ground-based Midcourse Defense, or GMD, hub of layered antimissile protection.
Boeing partnered with Northrop Grumman Corp to retain the work.

By: Brant

Patriot Missiles to China?

DefenseTech is all over this story, so you can read the rest there, but here's a quick excerpt:

No one seems to know how 69 of the U.S.’ prized air defense missiles ended up on a ship bound for China but this kind of movement can only happen with the approval of someone in high places.
Keep in mind that Germany has a bunch of Patriot missiles and has sold its older Patriots to South Korea during times of high tension with North Korea. Finnish authorities couldn’t say if the ship was planning on making any stops before it arrived in China. It’s plausible the missiles found aboard the Thor Liberty are a German shipment bound for South Korea but you’d think we’d have heard about the deal; you’d also think they wouldn’t be “badly stored” and marked as fireworks.

Now, it turns out the Germans have claimed them as a part of a legit shipment, but something just really smells wrong here. We're going to keep an eye on the one as it develops. Track it over at DefenseTech, and watch for their RSS headlines in our left-hand sidebar.

By: Brant

GrogNews Daily Headlines

So South Korea's intel chief is saying that it's likely the Norks are going to attack again. Isn't that a lot like predicting rain? I mean, it's going to happen sooner or later, you just don't know exactly when or how hard, right? In a totally-staged PR move, the media were given access to a Nork soldier at the border who just wants peace. Yippee!

Ah WikiLeaks, how much do we hate thee? You jeopardize lives with your anti-US crusading, then tie up our time with our desire to read what you divulge. Ugh. The US is now set to pass a new whistle-blower bill as the rest of the country wonders the same thing we asked a few days ago: How could a PFC intel weenie in an infantry division get access to everything that WikiLeaks has dropped? If you're in China, you're not reading WikiLeaks. Today's great revelations? The Paks blew off US concerns about their nuclear arms; Israel is worried about the US arming Arab nations as a deterrent against Iran.

In the wake of yesterday's DADT report from the Pentagon it looks like there aren't too many objections left to repealing DADT, even though there are still some holdouts in uniform.

The DoD has certified another WMD-CST team, for New York.

That secret military mini-shuttle is coming in for landing.

The new programmable grenade launcher headed to Afghanistan is being called a "game-changer".

Putin is still whining about missile defense.


By: Brant

Russia And NATO To Cooperate On Missile Defense

Security cooperation between NATO and Russia may soon reach unprecedented levels if the prospect of an integrated European missile defense network becomes reality.

Russia agreed Saturday to cooperate with NATO on building a U.S.-planned antimissile network in Europe as part of what was described as a new era in security relations between the former Cold War enemies.

The accord, announced at a NATO summit in Lisbon, symbolized a conclusion by the United States and its main European allies that Russia is not a threat to be protected from but a potential ally in girding the continent against possible ballistic missile attacks from Iran or elsewhere.

"We see Russia as a partner, not an adversary," President Obama said, hailing the NATO-Russian accord.

President Dmitry Medvedev warned, however, that Russia's cooperation must be "a full-fledged strategic partnership between Russia and NATO" and not just a nod in Moscow's direction to spare Russian feelings while Europe tends to its own defenses in tandem with the United States.

"Otherwise, it's a no-go," he said at a news conference here. "Everybody's clear that the missile defense system will be useful only when it is universal. I'll be blunt with you: We need to sort it out."

The NATO secretary general, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, said NATO countries and Russia will immediately revive cooperation on theater missile defenses for troop protection and launch a joint, six-month analysis of how Russia could be part of the broader, Europe-wide coverage being planned for deployment in the years ahead.

"This is of real political importance," Rasmussen said.

By: Shelldrake

GrogNews Morning Headlines

India is holding a flurry of war games with international partners, not just the Brits.
Oh yeah, Iran is holding some, too.

Tariq Aziz has been sentenced to death. Let's hope his execution doesn't turn into the cell-phone-filmed catastrophe that Saddam's did, where the guards were chanting the name of Moqtada al-Sadr when they pulled the lever.

Speaking of Iran, they're loading fuel into first nuclear reactor. Cue Israeli strike force?

And the Feds are searching the home of a missile systems expert in connection with an investigation on classified info.

According to Transparency International, countries wracked by war tend to be more corrupt. Yep. Probably could've figured that out ourselves, eh?

By: Brant

China Secretly Tests Long Range Missiles

A recent US announcement has confirmed recent secret tests of a possible interceptor missile by China.

On Wednesday, U.S. officials verified the covert flight trials, the Washington Times reported, which took place Sept. 25; in the tests, the Chinese military launched a missile from its Taiyuan missile center to Korla, a western Chinese city 1,800 miles away.

U.S. officials were made aware of the impending tests on Sept. 23, when the Chinese government issued a "notice to airmen" alerting aircraft to avoid the airspace between the two towns.

Though the Chinese government has yet to comment, reports from websites within China indicate the test most likely involved a second missile: an "interceptor" with a restricted flight range. These sites speculate that there were launches from two locations, one an interceptor missile instructed to take out the first, long-range test missile shot from from Taiyuan.

By: Shelldrake

More on China's ASBM

What kind of wunderwaffen is it, exactly? THe Asia Times fills us in.

The DF-21D, as the missile is commonly called, is a modification of a solid-propellant, single-warhead medium-range ballistic missile that China has been working on since the late 1960s. The newest version, also going under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization reporting name CSS-5 Mod-4, is believed to come with the unique feature that it can target a moving aircraft carrier as far away as 3,000 kilometers from a land-based mobile launcher.

Enabled by this new weapon, China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) hopes to gain the option to control the West Pacific from land, as opposed to engaging with the US Navy in sea battles that China would be unlikely to win. If the DF-21D is really as sophisticated as has been widely speculated, the US would have to risk its neck when coming to South Korea's, Japan's or Taiwan's aid in the event of Chinese military aggression.

It can safely be assumed that a fair portion of Washington's military strategies would be rendered useless it the US were to lose the ability to securely travel anywhere using aircraft carriers from which jet fighters start their devastatingly precise bombing campaigns - as has been seen in the wars against Serbia and Saddam Hussein's Iraq.

Like the DF-21D's earliest predecessor, the German V-2, a long-range World War II ballistic missile that the Nazis called a Wunderwaffe, China's anti-ship ballistic missile remains shrouded in mystery. Military experts from Washington to Taipei have been left guessing its exact capabilities. It is suggested that the missile's high-angle re-entry into the atmosphere, as well as its speed, make it almost impossible to defend against.

What further worries American defense analysts is that the Chinese apparently have the advantage of being able to screw on almost anything that's found in the PLA's warhead arsenals, such as HEAT shells, which are extremely efficient at penetrating steel, as well as cluster bombs, which eject smaller sub-munitions.

The Chinese could even destroy their opponents' electronic control systems - critical to the operation of ground vehicles and aircraft - by producing damaging current and voltage surges with the help of electromagnetic pulse bombs loaded into the DF-21D. Yet another option would be to fit a missile with a thermobaric fuel-air bomb. This warhead produces a blast wave of a very long duration, a feature that is useful in military applications where the attacker aims to increase the number of casualties and cause greater damage to infrastructure.

By: Brant

Anti-Missile Lasers for Helicopters?

DARPA and the Army are throwing money at the idea.

A new laser technology aims to protect helicopters in combat operations from heat-seeking missiles.
The laser-based defense system, under development by the University of Michigan (UM) and Omni Sciences, Inc., a UM spin-off company, could essentially "blind" self-guiding ordinance as it nears its flying target.
"Our lasers give off a signal that's like throwing sand in the eyes of the missile," said Mohammed Islam, a professor in the department of electrical engineering and computer science at UM.
Islam said that the technology could save soldiers' lives in hostile environments.
"Battlefield terrain in places like Afghanistan and Iraq can be so rough that our troops have often had to rely on helicopters, and they can be easy targets for enemies with shoulder-launched missiles," Islam said.
Using inexpensive, off-the-shelf telecommunications fiber optics, Islam is developing sturdy and portable "mid-infrared supercontinuum lasers" that could scramble heat-seeking weapons from a distance of 1.8 miles (2.9 kilometers) away.
The technology is being commercialized through Islam's company, Omni Sciences, which has recently received $1 million in grants from the Army and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to build a second-generation prototype. The Army grant is for $730,000 and the DARPA funding is $300,000.
The lasers are promising for helicopter protection because their robust, simple design can withstand shaky helicopter flight and their mid-infrared supercontinuum mode can effectively jam missile sensors.

Look, I'm as tolerant as the next guy. I hate the idea of "Burn a Koran Day" and I have no objections to the NYC mosque. But really, you've got a guy building anti-missile defenses for US helicopters named "Mohammed Islam"? Can't we just call him "Mo" and find some other way to fudge his last name?

In the meantime, I wonder how eye-safe these laser will be when they dazzle someone on the ground and the ACLU (the 21st-century Ambulance-chasing-corps) goes dashing off to court with an injunction that forbids all combat save makeshift spears.

By: Brant

Chinese Thoughts on ASBMs

From a Chinese newspaper, an editorial about strategic deterrence and carrier-killing missiles

China has never pursued a policy of confrontation with other world powers, including the US. However, it does need a strategic deterrence. In a bid to protect its own strategic interests, China should not only build its anti-ship missile capacity, but also possess a range of other carrier-destroying measures as well.

For quite some time the intelligence agencies in the US and other Western countries have conjectured over China's anti-ship missile capacity. China ought to convince the international community of its reliable carrier-killing capacity as soon as possible to end the speculation.

Such capacity is necessary for an emerging power, and it is necessary infrastructure for China's military modernization.

Since US aircraft carrier battle groups in the Pacific constitute deterrence against China's strategic interests, China has to possess the capacity to counterbalance.

Such capacity could inhibit US thoughts of keeping China in check through aircraft carriers, and therefore greatly reduce the possibility of confrontation between the People's Liberation Army and US military forces in the Western Pacific.

While developing its anti-ship missile capacity, China should also let Westerners know under what circumstances will such weaponry be used.

China should let the world be well aware that no foreign aircraft carrier is allowed to do whatever it wants to do in China's waters. China will never abuse its anti-ship missile capacity and launch strikes against foreign carriers without a justified reason.

As long as China develops its strategic strike force, the country will inevitably face pressure outlined in the "China threat" theory.

By: Brant

Iranian Puffery On Weapons Exports

Iran's defense chief claims a fairly large export market...

Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi announced on Saturday that Iran is capable of exporting military equipment to 50 countries.

Now that Iran has become self-sufficient in manufacturing military equipment it can share its technical know-how with other countries and export its products to over 50 nations, Vahidi explained.

He also said one of Iran’s most important defense projects will be inaugurated in a ceremony today with the attendance of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

The defense minister had previously announced that the third generation of Fateh (Conqueror) missiles will be tested on this day.

He also had said Iran will unveil its first domestically manufactured long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), called the Karrar on the same day.

On Friday, the Qiam 1 (Uprising) missile was successfully launched and hit the mock target.

By: Brant

Missile Defense Sale to Kuwait Pending

The gov't has notified Congress of the sale of Patriot missiles to Kuwait.

The Pentagon on Wednesday said it had notified the US Congress of a planned sale of Patriot missiles to Kuwait, which is looking to bolster its defenses against the threat from Iran.
"Kuwait needs these missiles to meet current and future threats of enemy air-to-ground weapons," the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement on its web site about the deal, valued at 900 million dollars.
The proposed sale "will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping to improve the security of a major non-NATO ally which has been, and continues to be, an important force for political stability and economic progress in the Middle East," it said.

By: Brant

Chinese Dong Feng Missile Not That Threatening

In this defpro.news article analyst Loren B. Thompson argues why the Chinese "aircraft carrier-killing" ballistic missile is over-rated.

Last week saw another round of semi-hysterical speculation about China's new Dong Feng missile, which supposedly has the accuracy required to attack U.S. aircraft carriers from 900 miles away. Prof. Toshi Yoshihara of the Naval War College told the Associated Press that the new missile signals "the U.S. Navy no longer rules the waves as it has since the end of World War II," and "sea control cannot be taken for granted anymore." Patrick Cronin of the Center for a New American Security said the missile is "potentially capable of stopping our naval projection." Investor's Business Daily compared the Pentagon's lack of response to the Dong Feng with Navy complacency in the days leading up to the attack on Pearl Harbor, and saw the emerging antiship threat as further evidence the world is entering a "Chinese Century."

I haven't seen the intelligence reports, so maybe all the alarm is warranted. But I doubt it. China has yet to conduct a single realistic test of the conventionally-armed ballistic missile. Even if it performs as feared, there is a glaring omission in all the threat mongering: the Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has no reliable way of actually targeting U.S. carrier task forces when they are at sea. No matter how accurate the new missile's guidance system may be, Chinese military commanders need to know where to aim it -- especially since a near miss with a conventional warhead has pretty much the same military value as missing by a hundred miles. So how exactly is the PLA supposed to find U.S. carriers, when they are constantly moving and actively excluding hostile forces from their immediate vicinity?

The answer is that it can't. "Four and a half acres of sovereign U.S. territory" -- the way carrier proponents often describe flattops -- may sound like a huge target, but in fact it is a mere speck in the vast expanses of the Western Pacific. For example, the modestly-sized South China Sea that Beijing keeps trying to claim for itself contains over a million square miles of water, in which a carrier can easily hide. And that's only a small part of the East Asia littoral. I calculated a decade ago that to acquire continuous target-quality information for the entire South China Sea, the PLA would need over a hundred low-earth-orbit reconnaissance satellites moving in three parallel tracks. At the moment, China only has a handful of such satellites, and as a result most of the time its overhead sensors aren't anywhere near areas of interest. It also has over-the-horizon radars and roaming submarines, plus a fleet of reconnaissance aircraft, but these do not add up to the seamless targeting network the PLA would need to track and attack a U.S. carrier.

The Navy is currently investing in upgrades to its Aegis combat system and other defensive equipment aimed at dealing with maneuvering warheads such as the Dong Feng would carry. These defensive measures will likely come to fruition long before Beijing has a reliable way of targeting our carriers. In addition, the Navy has numerous kinetic and non-kinetic strike options that could be used to rapidly degrade whatever surveillance network the PLA has assembled if the threat of an attack against U.S. carriers were deemed serious enough. And then there are all the passive "signature management" measures the Navy might undertake to foil the tracking efforts of the PLA using remote sensors. Frankly, the U.S. Navy has so many options for negating Chinese antiship capabilities that I can only conclude the alarmists aren't conversant with U.S. military preparations to be so worried about the nascent Dong Feng.

Of course, losing even one aircraft carrier would be a huge blow to the American psyche. But the American response would be so devastating that Beijing would soon regret its boldness. The value of a trillion dollars in Chinese currency reserves would evaporate overnight. China's access to the world's richest export market would end. Its information networks would largely cease functioning. Its sea-based supply lines to Persian Gulf oil and Australian minerals would be severed. And all that could happen even before U.S. bombs began falling on Chinese territory. So while we can't be absolutely certain that China's leaders won't someday be foolish enough to attack a U.S. aircraft carrier, we can be pretty damned sure that they would soon realize they had made a big mistake.

By: Shelldrake

India's Missile Defense System Still Passing Trials

India has successfully tested another stage of the missile interception scheme.

India Monday successfully tested for the fourth consecutive time a ballistic missile interceptor from a defence base in Orissa as part of its endeavour to create an impregnable shield against incoming enemy missiles, defence sources said.

The indigenous interceptor was fired from Wheeler Island off the Orissa coast near Dhamra in Bhadrak district, about 170 km from state capital Bhubaneswar.

It successfully destroyed an incoming ballistic missile - a variant of the Prithvi II that lifted off from Launch Complex-III of the Integrated Test Range (ITR) at Chandipur-on-sea in Balasore district, about 70 km from Wheeler Island across the sea.

The single stage interceptor, fitted with a directional warhead and other advanced systems, neutralized the target at an altitude of 15 km in the endo-atmosphere (upto a height of 30 km).

By: Brant

Iranian Missile Threat Prompts Change In US Defense Plans

US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates revealed a major change in US missile defense plans in reponse to the potential threat of a massive missile attack on Europe by Iran.

The new program, called the "phased adaptive approach," uses sea and land-based interceptors to protect NATO allies in the region, instead of mainly larger weapons designed to counter long-range missiles.

"One of the elements of the intelligence that contributed to the decision on the phased adaptive array was the realization that if Iran were actually to launch a missile attack on Europe, it wouldn't be just one or two missiles or a handful," Gates told a senate hearing.

"It would more likely be a salvo kind of attack, where you would be dealing potentially with scores or even hundreds of missiles."

Top US generals have said the new anti-missile system was meant to guard against a potential salvo of missiles from states such as Iran or North Korea.

By: Shelldrake