Dear Members and Friends,
Over and over again, the United States is testing the current missile defense capability found on our fleets and around the world in defense and deterrence against nations with modern sophisticated ballistic missiles with great success. It is a testament to our nation and its fortitude to actively test, with persistence, and prove the reliability of these systems that are making today’s world safe now and in the future.
Early this morning, the USS Lake Erie (CG-70), an Aegis ballistic missile defense cruiser off the coast of Hawaii shot down and intercepted a much more complex ballistic missile. This successful test proved its newest interceptor, the SM-3 Block IB with its new 4.0 Weapon System for the 6th consecutive time. This achievement comes 16 days after this same ship and crew shot down and intercepted, with this new interceptor and system, a complex target ballistic missile in these same waters.
This redundant feat enables full rate production of this new intercept missile that will fill the vertical launch tubes of our United States Aegis BMD Navy fleet of 28 ships, fill the vertical launch tubes of the upcoming NATO Aegis Ashore Site in Romania, and fill the vertical launch tubes of the four Japanese Kongo Class Aegis BMD ships. The new missile, the SM-3 Block IB has a dual color seeker and a Throttleable Divert and Attitude Control System (TDACS) allowing for a greater discrimination capability to defeat complex missile targets that are being evolved and proliferated.
The achievement also proves the 4.0 Aegis Weapons System, the best in the world, and enables the Aegis BMD ship to do multi-missions, discriminate more complex missile threats, and better handle multiple missile threats. It is of significant value to our nation and Japan that they modernize their Aegis BMD ships to 4.0 Weapons Systems and above enable capacity growth with their existing systems.
In the world today, it is imperative that the United States and its allies stay ahead of the evolving and proliferating missile threat with a mobile missile defense force around the globe. The United States Aegis BMD ships today are in the waters off the coasts of Syria, Iran, and North Korea where ballistic missiles are being threatened. The United States Navy is providing stability and peace in these regions by the use of Aegis BMD ships.
Congratulations to the United States Navy, the Missile Defense Agency, the Captain and Crew of the USS Lake Erie (CG-70), the Pacific Missile Range Facility, and of all those that supported the test and target for your fortitude to execute excellence in this significant test success.
It is critical to test again and again to prove the reliability of our missile defense systems and give great confidence to those that that use these systems in making our world and nation a safer place.
Respectfully,
Riki Ellison
Chairman & Founder
Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance
