Interceptor shield

Q: General Obering would you mind telling us a little about your self for the readers and about what you do in the MDA?

A: Sure, Nate. I have been in the U.S. Air Force for over 31 years, starting out as a fighter pilot flying F-4E Phantoms. After receiving my Masters in Astronautical Engineering from Stanford University, I moved to the Space Shuttle program, where I participated in 15 launches as an Orbiter engineer. After several more assignments in the Air
Force, I arrived at MDA in December 2001 to become the Program Director for Command, Control, Battle Management and Communication. I took over as the Director in July 2004. In this position, I serve three roles: head of a defense agency responsible for an annual budget of $8 billion and more than 5,000 individuals; the acquisition executive for all programs funded by the agency; and the manager for a single missile defense development program, overseeing the development, design, and testing of a global, integrated ballistic missile defense system.

Q: Since the MDA began development on the missile defense system, some of the programs that have been mothballed since President Reagan, have been looked into and some modernized with modern technology. Are there still more ideas we can draw on from the old missile defense program that at the time technology did not permit or should we as the missile defense program moves forwards be looking to implement fresh ideas for the system?

A: We will always be looking for ways to leverage the considerable research we accomplished under the SDI program. At the same time, we will keep pushing our scientists and engineers to come up with more advanced technological solutions to defeat this very challenging and very urgent threat. Some of the work done under the old program is just now bearing fruit. We did extensive research on lasers, for example, during the 1980s and 90s. Only recently did we achieve major milestones with the high-power laser under development for the Airborne Laser. There is a lot of work that needs to be done before we can have an Airborne Laser to do boost phase intercepts, but my point is that we continue to build off the progress we made ten, twenty years ago. This applies also to our work in hit-to-kill technologies. Over time we built up enough confidence in our capability to “hit a bullet with a bullet” so that, by 2002, we could begin fielding a limited defensive capability to protect our homeland. We continually build off what we learned or accomplished in the past. It is also true that, while we are an acquisition agency, research and development will continue to represent the program’s seed corn.

Q: General, there has been a lot of talk recently in the news about space based defense this is a rather controversial topic with a lot of people. Do you think that eventually the United States will have to move to looking into the possibility of implementing a space based interceptor program?

A: The Missile Defense Agency’s mission is to develop and deploy defenses to intercept missiles of all ranges in all phases of flight, no matter when and from where they might be launched. In the near term, we plan to develop and deploy land- and sea-based elements, which will be integrated into a single system to provide coverage of the United States and parts of the world. The capabilities we are fielding today are designed to engage hostile missiles in the midcourse and terminal phases of flight. We also are developing a high-acceleration booster and an Airborne Laser to intercept threat missiles in the boost and ascent phases of flight. A space-based overlay to these terrestrial systems might provide a few powerful advantages: global and rapid access, an additional defensive layer that could improve the effectiveness of the system as a whole against ballistic missiles launched out of unexpected locations, and the potential for timely, effective early engagement. For more than two decades this country has conducted extensive research on space-based interceptor technologies, but we have not yet conducted a proper cost/benefit analysis taking into account overall performance of our Ballistic Missile Defense system. No decision has been made to deploy interceptors in space, but over the next five years the Missile Defense Agency plans to undertake further research, development, and technology demonstrations. These activities will help us determine whether a space-based missile defense layer integrated into our existing system can significantly enhance overall system performance.

Q: A lot of progress has been made in the missile defense program, and recently there was the successful intercept in February with the Aegis destroying the incoming target in the test. As more of the systems that are being worked on by the MDA go fully online like the X band radar platform that will be moving into position sometime soon, will the public see more successful tests as the MDA is able to draw on more resources for each test for tracking and targeting?

A: The short answer to your question is that, yes, MDA will continue to test the different parts of the ballistic missile defense system against different ranges of missiles. Our test philosophy is to run tests in order to learn as much as we can about the capabilities and limitations of the system elements. Over time, our approach is to increase testing complexity to more closely approximate operational scenarios. As with any test program involving a highly complex weapon system, we have had, and will continue to have, failures. But we test to learn, to expand our knowledge about the components we use in the system. We also test to ensure that we have a system that can be operated to defeat threats to our nation, our troops, and our allies and friends. Testing will always be a part of this program. We will continue to integrate new assets into the system to improve its overall performance. Later this year, for example, we will add the Sea-Based X-Band radar to our system test bed. We will then have to test the system with this new platform in place in order to make sure it “checks out” and performs as intended.

Q: General Obering how do you feel the Missile Defense Program will progress down the road, does the MDA currently have enough funding to meet the goals that have been set forth for it?

A: Our goal today and over the long-term is ensure that the warfighter has militarily useful capabilities to defend against all ranges ballistic missile. Since we cannot be certain which specific threats we will face in the future, or from where they will originate, our long-term strategy is to strengthen and maximize the flexibility of our missile defense capabilities. I have put in place plans to move towards a missile defense force structure that features greater sensor and interceptor mobility. These plans include expanding terminal defense protection and placing increasing emphasis on boost phase defenses. At present, we do not have a capability to engage a missile early in its flight trajectory, when it is most vulnerable. The missile defense system will continue to evolve as we adapt it to the ever-changing security environment and integrate new and emerging technologies. Over the near-term, we will develop and field the next increment of missile defense capability to improve protection of the United States from the Middle East, expand coverage to allies and friends, improve our capability against short-range threats, and increase the resistance of the integrated system to countermeasures. The funding appropriated for this year and requested for the years ahead is sufficient to execute this program.

Q: On June the 6th Japan announced that they would be moving from research to full development of their missile defense program in the next fiscal year, our allies are watching our missile system closely and seeing its success and that missile defense does work, do you think more countries will be following Japan in implementing missile defense systems?

A: Interest in missile defense among foreign governments and industry continues to grow. We have been working closely with a number of allies, including Japan, to forge international partnerships that will make missile defense a key element of our security relationships around the world. We have made great headway since President Bush directed that we expand missile defense cooperation with our international partners and work to ensure that we can provide our allies and friends protection against ballistic missiles. We have negotiated Framework Agreements with Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia. A number of countries have Patriot defense systems and have set in motion plans to acquire the combat-tested Patriot Advanced Capability-3 interceptors.
We also have a number of on-going discussions with several countries and NATO. Israel has been incrementally fielding its Arrow interceptor to deal with the fact that it is surrounded by hostile states with ballistic missile and weapons of mass destruction programs. The general trend seems to be in the direction you have indicated. Over time, I anticipate that the leaders of more and more countries will commit to the development of missile defense technologies and components and to the fielding of missile defenses tailored to their individual security situations.

Q: Ever since 9/11 there has been a heightened alertness about homeland security and missile defense, with countries like North Korea, Iran and others having active missile programs and openly hostile attitudes towards the United States, support is slowly growing each day for the missile defense program. But even today a lot of the general public does not know about the missile defense program or understand how it works and a lot more think we already have a working missile defense system in place. What message do you have for the people that are out actively getting the support and the word out for the missile defense program?

A: Missile defense is very well supported at the grassroots level. Popular support has been tremendous over the last two decades. This support has been critical to our success. For everyone out there in the public arena and on the front lines actively supporting and defending the missile defense program, we need you to continue your efforts to educate the American people about the ballistic missile defense system. It is just a fact of life that most people learn about the missile defense program through the news media. Unfortunately, what is reported in the press is not always accurate, and sometimes it is just plain false. We are continually making efforts to correct misperceptions about the program. Getting the facts right is a powerful part of any communications strategy. I would encourage you and others who are so inclined to take full advantage of our website (www.mda.mil), where you can get the latest news about the program, fact sheets about the system, and the latest in pictures and video.

Thank you General for taking the time to talk with us and keep up the
Good work you are doing at the Missile Defense Agency.

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