U.S. takes step toward missile defense

By ERIC TALMADGE
The Associated Press

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The mission, to be conducted in the Sea of Japan by ships assigned to the Navy's 7th fleet, will help lay the foundation for a system to detect and intercept ballistic missiles launched by "rogue nations."

U.S. officials hope to complete the network over the next several years.

"We are on track," Vice Admiral Jonathan Greenert, commander of the 7th Fleet, said Wednesday aboard the USS Coronado, which is based just south of Tokyo.

The deployment will be the first in a controversial program that is high on President Bush's defense agenda. Bush cleared the way to build the system two years ago by withdrawing from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which banned ship-based missile defenses.

He said protecting America from ballistic missiles was "my highest priority as commander in chief, and the highest priority of my administration."

The project — likened to hitting a bullet with a bullet, only at three times the speed — is complex, prompting many critics to argue that it will never be reliable or effective. It is also expensive, with an estimated price tag of $51 billion over the next five years.

More than 30 nations have ballistic missiles, according to the U.S. Defense Department's Missile Defense Agency. Though exact times depend on where the launch occurs, missiles could reach virtually anywhere within the United States in less than 30 minutes.

Greenert, who assumed command of the Navy's largest fleet last month, refused to name a target for the Sea of Japan patrols.

"I can't specify adversaries, but you're looking at rogue nations," he said. "Take it from there."

The country best fitting that description is North Korea, which has successfully tested a missile with a range of 1,200 miles and reportedly has developed one capable of reaching U.S. bases on Guam and in Hawaii. North Korea also is believed to be on its way toward developing nuclear weapons.
 
This week, Japanese naval ships were dispatched to the waters off North Korea amid reports that Pyongyang was preparing to test a "Nodong" missile, which can reach much of Japan — and the more than 50,000 U.S. troops stationed there — in minutes.

North Korea is believed to have at least 100 of the missiles.

Material on North Korea's missile development was provided by the Los Angeles Times.