Contact: Darrell “DJ” Jordan
(202) 225-4876

CONGRESSMAN ADERHOLT OBJECTS TO MISSLE DEFENSE AGENCY STOP WORK ORDER

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Robert Aderholt (R-Haleyville) today sent a letter to Lieutenant General Patrick O’Reilly, Director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), protesting the recent stop work order issued by the Missile Defense Agency on the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) program.  The KEI missile defense program has the potential to deploy kinetic energy-based, mobile, ground and sea-launched missiles that could intercept and destroy enemy ballistic missiles during their boost, ascent and midcourse phases of flight. Congressman Aderholt has asked the Missile Defense Agency to rescind the KEI stop-work order and to use the remaining FY09 funds to complete the booster flight test. Congressman Aderholt is a member of the Missile Defense Caucus.

The full text of the letter is below: 

 

Lieutenant General Patrick J. O’Reilly
Missile Defense Agency
Office of the Secretary of Defense
The Pentagon
Washington, DC 20301

Dear General O’Reilly,

     I am writing to ask you to rescind the stop-work order of May 11, for the Kinetic Energy Interceptor and to proceed with the September flight test.  

     As you are aware, over $1 billion has been spent on this program, and I urge you to proceed with plans for the flight test, which is only a few months away.   Invaluable information could be learned from this test, and I believe the American taxpayer deserves to have this information; I am very concerned about this abrupt cancellation. 

     I look forward to additional information from you about plans to address boost-phase defense and ascent phase defense.   At this time, however, I believe Congress does not have enough information on the overall costs of design, construction, deployment, and personnel support of alternate systems to justify discarding this program right before a flight test.  

      Thank you for your consideration of this request, and I look forward to working with you on these crucial matters related to our national defense. 

Sincerely,

Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04)

###