Honolulu Star Advertiser:
In the face of increasing North Korean ballistic missile threats, the Pentagon is studying beefing up Hawaii’s defenses by switching an “Aegis Ashore” missile system and launcher on Kauai from testing to operational mode and adding radars to track incoming missiles, a missile defense expert said.
Riki Ellison, chairman of the nonprofit Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, said the study is due out by August. But in the meantime, he said, Hawaii lags in ballistic missile defense while the United States pours billions into the defense of Alaska and the mainland, Guam, Japan and South Korea.
“(Hawaii) is the military command of all of the Pacific. It is targeted, let’s not fool ourselves,” Ellison said.
Ellison said there is no reason not to “operationalize” the Aegis Ashore facility on Kauai for the ballistic missile defense of Hawaii. The facility, which tracks incoming missiles and fires interceptors, was put in place at the Pacific Missile Range Facility to test defensive Aegis Ashore sites for Romania and Poland…
