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No. 134-M
MEMORANDUM FOR CORRESPONDENTS
August 16, 1999
The United States and Japan announced today that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on joint technology research for Navy Theater Wide (NTW) Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (TBMD).
Signed by the Department of Defense and the Japan Defense Agency, the agreement calls for the two countries to conduct analysis, preliminary design, and certain risk reduction experiments. This would lead to the design specification and technology selection for the four agreed missile sub-components due to be integrated into the STANDARD Missile's latest derivative, the SM-3.
The agreement covers a Requirements Analysis and Design (RA&D) effort which will apply advanced Japanese and U.S. technologies to improve the capabilities of four major guided missile components: sensor, advanced kinetic warhead, second stage propulsion, and lightweight nose cone.
This agreement, the culmination of several years of discussion, recognizes the benefits of cooperative research that contributes to enhancing the credibility of the US-Japan security arrangements, and the opportunity to improve missile defense capabilities of both countries through the application of advanced technologies.
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