Authorization Bill Written By House Panel Cuts $719 Million From Missile Defense, Including European BMD, ABL, KEI, MKV

Aegis, THAAD, Others, Would Gain Funds

A battle will erupt Wednesday in the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), where proponents of several ballistic missile defense programs will attempt to overturn funding cuts that the HASC strategic forces subcommittee imposed on those programs.

It was the second consecutive year that the subcommittee has cut authorizations for some missile defense initiatives, though this year some of the cuts were far smaller. (Please see related analysis story in this issue for further details.)

The subcommittee also added to some established missile defense programs, even as it cut authorizations for some newer developmental programs.

Cuts were voted in the European Missile Defense, Airborne Laser, Kinetic Energy Interceptor, Multiple Kill Vehicle and other programs, while the subcommittee approved authorization increases for the Aegis, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and other programs.

Overall, the subcommittee voted to cut $719 million from President Bush’s request for ballistic missile defense (BMD) programs in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2009, resulting in a net overall amount of $10.1 billion for BMD. That still would be $212.6 million above the fiscal 2008 level.

That $10.1 billion total includes $8.6 billion in authorizations for the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), versus the $9.336 billion that Bush requested for MDA.

The cuts come in an array of programs, spelled out in the measure that the subcommittee in a "markup" session reported to the full House Armed Services Committee for it to review on Wednesday.

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.), who co-chairs and founded the bipartisan House Missile Defense Caucus, was asked by Space & Missile Defense Report how proponents of BMD programs will respond.

"We will [offer] amendments in full committee," Franks said. "We hope to make up some of those dollars."

On the overall cut of $719 million, Franks expressed puzzlement, saying that missile defense not only protects the United States against missile attack, but missile defense also can cause leaders of rogue nations to see missiles as open to defeat, meaning many nations may not bother attempting to acquire an arsenal of missiles.

"I believe that missile defense is not only the last line of defense against an incoming nuclear ballistic missile, it is the first line of defense against proliferation, and proliferation ought to be everyone’s concern," Franks said.

Especially for an advanced, developed nation, a missile attack could be catastrophic. Franks termed any such assault "one of the profound existential threats to the concept of freedom as we know it."

Turning to details of the subcommittee authorization bill, Franks specifically cited the European Missile Defense (EMD) program that would be cut $232 million, saying that this reduction sends the wrong signal to European allies, jeopardizing the entire program. Further, the cut in the missile shield funding inexplicably comes as Iran poses a growing missile threat.

The subcommittee is entering into an area of "great political delicacy and vulnerability," Franks said. "And I’m afraid that if we’re not careful, the entire effort could be endangered."

This missile shield is being erected, obviously, to defend Europe and the United States, but it also negates the value of any missiles and nuclear weapons that Iran or other nations may acquire, he said.

"Obviously, the reason I believe that the European site is so important is because it not only protects … Europe, our allies and the United States from potential Iranian missile threats, it devalues the entire nuclear technology in the hands of the Iranians, to the extent that perhaps some of the sanctions that we have may prevent them from gaining traction in that entire technological field," he said.

And on a more parochial level, installation of a missile shield in Europe "may be the difference between whether or not nuclear [attacks] come to America," he said.

Franks said that an amendment will be offered in the full HASC markup of the legislation that would completely reverse the $232 million cut in the EMD program. The subcommittee also directed MDA and the director of operational test and evaluation to submit a joint plan for testing the missile defense system that would be installed in Europe, a variant of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system. And MDA must report on its own how it will improve GMD testing, and report on missile defense target missiles used in the tests. The European system would be the third site, in addition to GMD installations in Alaska and California. EMD is led by The Boeing Co. [BA].

Franks also expressed grave concern with the $42.6 million cut for the Airborne Laser (ABL) program, and the $100 million each cut from the Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) and the Multiple Kill Vehicle programs.

Franks conceded that it could be far worse. For example, last year the subcommittee voted to tear $400 million (80 percent) out of the ABL program for the current fiscal 2008 (although the final cut when all was said and done was only $39 million). This year, for the fiscal 2009 bill, the ABL cut in the subcommittee is a tenth that $400 million slice.

"It was almost beheaded last year," Franks said. "This year it just got a haircut."

Still, he is concerned about ABL moving forward, unimpeded. "I think that laser [technology] will one day be recognized as being to missile defense what the silicon chip has been to computer technology," he said.

ABL is led by prime contractor Boeing, which contributes the heavily modified 747-400 jumbo jet aircraft, while Northrop Grumman Corp. [NOC] contributes the missile-killing laser system, and Lockheed Martin Corp. [LMT] provides the beam control/fire control system.

To recap the subcommittee authorization action, the bill provides increases for several programs:

• $75 million for the Aegis BMD sea-based program. Lockheed makes the weapon control system, while Raytheon Co. [RTN] provides the Standard Missile interceptor.
• $75 million extra for THAAD (Lockheed).
• $25 million for missile defense target development.
• $10 million for a joint U.S.-Israeli short-range missile defense program.

But those increases were offset by cuts in many programs.

• The $232 million reduction in the EMD program.
• $100 million from the Multiple Kill Vehicle.
• $100 million from KEI.
• $150 million from MDA special programs.
• $50 million from ballistic missile sensors.
• $42.6 million from ABL.

On the multiple kill vehicle cut, Franks expressed concern, saying that at a time when nations increasingly are gaining the ability to employ sophisticated warheads that can spew forth many items to confuse U.S. missile defense systems, it makes sense to have a system that can take out both enemy warheads and confusing countermeasures.

"One of the challenges we have … is addressing countermeasures, and these types of things, and that [MKV program] is at least one element of addressing those."

The subcommittee measure also supports $117.6 million for prompt global strike, funding research into technologies for an Air Force conventional strike missile concept, and a later Navy sea-launched global strike missile concept.

But no funds are involved for converting Trident nuclear ballistic missile submarines into subs shooting missiles with conventional warheads.

The subcommittee measure also provides increased funding of:

• $5 million for modernizing GPS user equipment.
• $10 million for space control and test capabilities.
• $10 million for Operational Responsive Space capabilities.

The bill as well "pushes the Department of Defense to focus on near-term war fighter needs and to address vulnerabilities in space situational awareness as well as space protection."

Pentagon leaders increasingly are concerned that the significant U.S. military dependence on space assets may be a problem point, given that China has developed the ability to shoot down satellites. China proved that by using a ground-based interceptor missile to obliterate one of its own aging weather satellites. Further, China used a ground-based laser to disable a U.S. military satellite.

Space situational awareness and space protection would counter that threat.

Studies Ordered

The subcommittee also ordered several studies of missile defense programs, including those reviews of the proposed European system.

To recap, the subcommittee legislators ordered the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the Pentagon operational test and evaluation office to work jointly in forming an agreed plan to test the European system.

The subcommittee bill also orders the secretary of defense to develop a comprehensive plan to set the future missile defense force structure and inventory requirements.

As well, the subcommittee measure orders the chief Pentagon procurement official and the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to report on the ability of the Missile Defense Executive Board to address concerns raised by the Joint Requirements Oversight Council.

In addition to those studies, the subcommittee authorization bill also would order some other evaluations:

• It directs MDA to report on how it will improve GMD testing and how it will bolster the missile defense targets program.
• Also, MDA would have to provide criteria and a path for down-selecting between vendors as the Multiple Kill Vehicle program meets its knowledge points.
• And the bill orders MDA to set up separate budget program element numbers for each terminal missile defense system and sensor element. MDA long has operated with fewer budget constraints than long-term, established defense programs, because MDA has had to engage in technology invention, breakthroughs needed to take down incoming enemy missiles.

Any one of these reports might provide fodder for missile defense opponents who might wish to cut those programs.