Ballistic Missile Defense
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On September 17, 2009, President Barack Obama announced the U.S. decision to adopt a new approach to ballistic missile defense in Europe called the European Phased Adaptive Approach (PAA) – a plan where EUCOM would complement NATO’s new strategic concept of incorporating missile defense as a core element of alliance security.
The plan proposes a network of sensors, interceptors and associated command-and-control structures to provide regional capability that is flexible, scalable and responsive. It consists of four phases:
Phase 1: Existing/maturing systems vs. Short Range (SR)/Medium Range Ballistic Missile (MRBM) threat. Sea-based missile defenses will be used as necessary to protect parts of southern Europe. A forward-based sensor also will be fielded to augment existing homeland defense capabilities (2011-2015 timeframe).
Phase 2: Enhanced missile defense systems vs. SR/MRBM threat. After appropriate testing, the advanced sensors and improved version of SM-3Block 1B interceptor will increase the defended area of Europe, as part of a combination of sea- and land-based configurations that includes an additional SM-3 ballistic missile defense interceptor site in Romania (2015-2018 timeframe).
Phase 3: Improved area coverage vs. MR/Intermediate Range (IR) BM threat. After development and testing are complete, the more advanced SM-3 Block IIA interceptor will be complemented by a second land-based SM-3 site in Poland as part of a combination of sea- and land-based configurations (2018-2020 timeframe).
Phase 4: Capability vs. potential ICBM threat. Advanced missile defense technologies, including a Block IIB version of the land-based SM-3 could provide some capability against a regional ICBM threat and provide layered defense for U.S. homeland (2020 and beyond timeframe).
International partnerships are critical to this approach and vital to address this common, wide-ranging security challenge. The capabilities it offers provide increased opportunity for international partnering and will trigger cooperative solutions with regional allies and partners.
More information on NATO missile defense is available here.
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