Times Herald Article

Keith Puchas, Times Herald staff Alisa M. Salerno/The Times Herald
Congressman Curt Weldon leads a two-day conference educating people on missile defense in Valley Forge. The conference is the first in a series of nation-wide events designed to educate Americans about defending our mili

KING OF PRUSSIA -- In the shadow of a Russian-made SCUD missile that towered over cars in the Radisson Valley Forge Hotel parking lot, U.S. Rep. Curt Weldon, R-7th Dist., made his case for a ballistic missile defense system.
"This is the SCUD missile," Weldon said, gesturing toward the dark green projectile pointing straight up off the back of a vintage transport vehicle. "This is the threat."

During the Persian Gulf War in 1991, 28 U.S. servicemen were killed when a SCUD missile landed on their barracks in Saudi Arabia, well away from the war's front lines. Half of the men were from Greensburg, Westmoreland County.

"This is not about killing anybody," he said. "This is about defense."

Also on display in the hotel parking lot was a launch vehicle for the Theater High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD), an anti-ballistic missile system that Weldon said showed the most promise for defending against missile attacks. A missile shot from the launcher intercepts an "enemy" missile and explodes it upon impact. The THAAD system is currently being tested by defense contractor Lockheed Martin.

Weldon was joined by military and civilian policymakers for a two-day ballistic missile conference, "Defending the Northeast, the Nation and America's Allies from Ballistic Missile Attack."

This event kicked off a planned whistle-stop style campaign that will take Weldon and the policymakers across the country to pitch the missile defense plan, a top priority of President George W. Bush's administration.

Weldon, a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee and chairman of the Arms Services Readiness Subcommittee, introduced legislation in August 1998 calling for the deployment of a National Missile Defense (NMD) system.

Currently, Weldon said, the United States is vulnerable to attack from rogue states - such as Iraq, Iran and North Korea - because there is no defensive system in place. There is a particular concern about the possibility of accidental launchings, incidents that have come close to fruition in the recent past.

During the 1991 war, Iraq launched many Russian-made SCUDs at Israel and American troops.

"Once it's in the air, there's not a way to defend against it," Weldon said.

In 1995, a National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) concluded that in the next 15 years, no countries other than the major nuclear powers would develop a ballistic missile capable of threatening the continental United States or Canada.

In 1997, according to the National Security Report newsletter (Vol. 4, Issue 3, Sept. 2000), in the wake of criticism of the estimate, a bipartisan commission, chaired by current Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, was formed to reassess the missile threat. Following hot on the heels of the Rumsfeld Commission's findings were North Korean's launch of a long-range ballistic missile and the test of a medium-range ballistic missile by Iran.

These events prompted the intelligence community to conclude in a revised NIE in 1999 that "During the next 15 years the United States most likely will face ICBM (intercontinental ballistic missile) threats from Russia, China, and North Korea, probably from Iran, and possibly from Iraq."

Since the end of the Cold War in 1989, Russia has traded on its technology to help arm rogue states like Iraq.

Weldon aides displayed two confiscated parts that, the congressman said, together composed a missile guidance system manufactured in Russia that had fallen into the hands of the Iraqis. If the guidance system was installed on a SCUD, he said, the weapon is capable of much greater accuracy when fired at a target.

"These (parts) were taken from a Russian ICBM," he said.

And, though the Cold War has ended, accidents involving missile launches still pose a threat to other countries.

On June 20, The Washington Times reported that in the past month there have been accidents involving Russian missiles and missile warning systems.

According to James Hackett's Times article, on June 8, a surface-to-air missile complex in the Moscow region's Ramenskoye district exploded and caught fire, destroying three S-300 missile launchers and 12 missiles. However, a Russian Air Force spokesman said there had not been any missiles launched.

A short-circuit in a missile engine is believed to have caused the explosion and fire. Witnesses reported that windows were broken in a nearby town, and six loud explosions were heard. A mushroom cloud rising over the forest was reported.

The S-300 is Russia's counterpart to the American-made Patriot missile, a missile designed to intercept aircraft, cruise missiles and short-range ballistic missiles. It is in widespread service in Russia, and Moscow is eagerly trying to sell it abroad, Hackett reported.

Hackett reported that on May 10, a major fire broke out at a mission control center of Russia's military space forces near Kurilovo, 60 miles southwest of Moscow, causing a loss of contact with four military satellites. The fire, which was reported to be severe, was apparently caused by a short-circuited power cable.

The function of the satellites was not clear, but they might have played an important role in Russia's ability to control its nuclear missiles.

In 1995, a sounding rocket launched from Norway caused Russian nuclear missile forces to go on alert, and then President Boris Yeltsin's nuclear briefcase was reportedly activated, ready to launch a missile attack on the United States.

Proponents of a national missile defense program warn that brief, unexpected interruption in the functioning of Russia's early warning satellites could be catastrophic.

The United States' is concerned about the 700 plus ICBMs and hundreds of submarine-launched missiles still operational in Russia, which contain as many as 6,000 aging nuclear warheads.

In the early afternoon, a cadre of peace activists from the Brandywine Peace Community showed up carrying placards that denounced the government and defense contractors as "war profiteers" for its "Star Wars" program.

Opponents of the national missile defense have criticized the initiative as ineffective and as an escalation of a future arms race. Also, critics of the program have pointed to numerous test failures.

In 1999, successful THAAD "hit-to-kill" intercepts of a simulated ICBM target warhead represented a major milestone in system testing for the Unites States.

Weldon said he supports President Bush's defense budget, which proposes to increase defense spending by $18 billion - or a total of $38 billion over the next two years. A vote on the budget is scheduled for August.

The missile conference will continue today with programs at 8:15 a.m. Weldon will moderate a panel, "What Can be Done?" at 1:15 p.m. that will discuss missile defense. Panelist will include Lt. General Ronald T. Kadish, USAF, director, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization; Lt. General Joseph M. Cosumano Jr., commanding general, U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command; Ambassador Henry Cooper; Dr. William Van Cleave; and Dr. Jacquelyn K. Davis.

©The Times Herald 2002