It is with great satisfaction that real-time education of our American Public about the need for missile defense was made apparent by our nation’s major news media outlets from Television, Front Page Newspapers and on the Web this past week, CNN, The Washington Post. It is with deeper satisfaction that within our Congress, the United States Senate responded and reflected our public will on this issue by an unprecedented vote of 98-0 for additional support for Missile Defense. Clearly the deployment and development of missile defense is a bi-partisan priority that is in sync with the views and beliefs of the American Public.

This past week our country saw positive movement towards missile defense, with the continuing success of our “hit to kill” systems, represented by another on-the-mark sea-based interceptor test on June 22 and the reported deployment of the PAC-3 interceptor system and a forward-based X-band radar in Japan. The PAC-3 will help defend Japan and our deployed forces there from a short-range missile attack. According to major news sources and networks, it has been leaked that the President of the United States has ordered the Department of Defense to a twenty-four hour emergency operational missile defense capability to protect the territory of the United States that includes space, sea and land sensors and the use of eleven ground-based interceptors that are in silos in California and Alaska.

These significant movements have caused an apparent delay by North Korea in launching its missile and perhaps withdrawing their attempted long-range missile test. Specifically, the deployment of our missile defense has put forward two major policy positions for our country:

Missile Defense has given the State Department a valuable diplomatic tool in negotiating and deterring North Korea’s intentions.

– Missile Defense has taken the pressure off of a potential Presidential and Congressional decision for a preemptive strike on the North Korean missile site that could escalate into a major international crisis, Loss of American and North Korean lives and innocent bloodshed and be taken as act of war with severe ramifications.

The current crisis in North Korea has galvanized the international community and strengthened the US’s partnerships to engage and deploy Missile Defense. The United Kingdom began an analysis for deployment of missile defense, and NATO in Brussels has stepped up its involvement with Missile Defense. Most notably, the Japanese people have become acutely aware of the need for protection, as it seeks self-protection as well as integrating with our current missile defense capabilities. An example of this is the participation by the Japanese Aegis destroyer Kirishima in the successful sea-based intercept test last week in the waters of Hawaii alongside the three ships of the U.S. Navy.

MDAA also hosted its’ Champion Reception event that included Hawaiian Legislators and local Community leaders prior to the international exercise in Honolulu with the Japanese delegation that included Captain Miki of the Kirishima and Rear Admiral Brad Hicks who directed the United States participation of that exercise.

Today, Missile Defense is creating stability in an unstable world that allows us to help defuse the current situation in North Korea and thus making the World a safer place.