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Anti-Missile System Ready For Action In Asia

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The New York Times

Published: October 3, 2007

WASHINGTON - After a successful test last week, the tracking radars and interceptor rockets of a new U.S. missile defense system can be turned on at any time to respond to an emerging crisis in Asia, senior military officers said Tuesday.

Gen. Victor Renuart Jr., the senior commander for defense of U.S. territory, said the anti-missile system could guard against the risk of ballistic missile attack from North Korea even while development continues on a series of radars in California and in the Pacific Ocean and on interceptor missiles in Alaska and in California.

Although the system is limited, it is the most extensive anti-ballistic missile system the Pentagon has fielded since the Safeguard ABM system near Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota was briefly operated, starting in 1975. Congress immediately voted to shut it down. It operated for only a few months.

'We can bring missiles up or take them down as need be so that they can continue doing the testing,' said Renuart, commander of the military's Northern Command, based in Colorado Springs. He added, 'I'm fully confident that we have all of the pieces in place that, if the nation needed to, we could respond.'

He said the system showed an initial capability in July 2006, when American missile defense went on alert as North Korea staged missile tests. Because the array of interceptors and radars remains under development, it has never received official status of being an operational weapons system.

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