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U.S. Cannot Ignore Ballistic Missile Threat
Friday, October 25, 2002
By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

"We are now in a much improved position to develop, test and evaluate ground-, air-, sea- and space-based technologies and basing modes for the deployment of effective layered defenses. We are no longer bound by the territorial defense restrictions of the ABM Treaty, and we can develop and deploy a ballistic missile defense system capable of protecting all 50 states."

WASHINGTON -- AFIS
The United States cannot afford to ignore the threat posed by ballistic missiles, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said during a speech to the Frontiers of Freedom Institute here Oct. 24.

Wolfowitz said that, in the aftermath the Sept. 11 attacks, some people have questioned spending on missile defense. They maintain the United States should expend funds on combating more obvious "low-tech" terrorist threats.

"But the reality is that we do not have the luxury of choosing to defend against only one threat to the exclusion of others," he said. "The horrific events of last year demonstrate the need to deal with the full range of threats that we face."

He said the United States must prepare for all these threats in a balanced way. The country must prepare for everything from "terrorism to the use of weapons of mass destruction by states and nonstate actors, to ballistic and cruise missile attacks."

Wolfowitz said the Missile Defense Agency is making great strides in missile defense. It's proven, for example, that "hit-to-kill" technology works. "We can hit a bullet with a bullet," the deputy said.
(More: DoD News Source)
2002 © The United States Department of Defense.

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