This document starts by quoting President Ronald Reagan in his March 23rd, 1983
"Star Wars" Speech:
Tonight, consistent with our obligations under the ABM Treaty and recognizing the need for close consultation with our allies, I am taking an
important first step. I am directing a comprehensive and intensive effort to define a long-term researched development program to begin to achieve our
ultimate goal of eliminating the threat posed by strategic nuclear missiles... Our only purpose - one all people share - is to search for ways to
reduce the danger of nuclear war.
- President Ronald Reagan, March 23, 1983
This speech marked the official beginning of the
Strategic Defense Initiative
(SDI), which was a program designed to find an alternative measure to countering the policy of mutually assured destruction (MAD).
In 1993, SDI was changed to the
Ballistic Missile Defense Organization
(BMDO). The name change, according to the documents, was a "reorientation of ballistic missile defense policy to place primary emphasis on developing
and fielding advanced theater missile defenses."
The SDIO program's many technological achievements included the
Flexible Lightweight Agile
Guidance Experiment (FLAGE) and the
Exoatmospheric Reentry Vehicle Interceptor
System (ERIS). These programs were especially successful because they were proved to be the most cost effective, most reliable and have the best
performance against weapons of mass destruction (WMD).
The name change from SDI to BMDO was, in large part, due to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the proliferation of ballistic missiles, their
technologies, and the weapons themselves in to the newly formed nations which used to be Soviet Union territories. Given that many of these nations
struggled, and still struggle to this day financially, the new threat became that these dangerous weapons would fall in to the hands of an enemy that
was not afraid of MAD, such as Al Qaeda, who had proved the ability and the motivation to attack the United States with their attack on the basement
of the World Trade Center in February of 1993, just three months before the change in name and policy of the defense system. This new threat prompted
the change in approach to missile defense of the United States homeland, it's allies and it's interests around the world.
The commercial aspect of BMDO was also quite significant. In total, BMDO led to the creation of at least 28 companies which spun off of federal
laboratories, universities, or private companies to commercialize different BMDO-funded technologies. Around 170 new commercial products have resulted
from the program. Eight companies funded by the BMDO Small Business Innovation Research program have gone public. 230 ventures have been formed using
BMDO-funded technologies as their basis. To top it off, over 200 patents have been issued with 150 (at the time of this document) still pending.
One of BMDO's most successful achievements was the
Extended Range Interceptor
(ERINT), which was the first application of "hit-to-kill" technology, and was selected, in 1994, to be the interceptor used in the
Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) missile defense system by the United
States Army.
BMDO has three major programs: Theater Missile Defense, National Missile Defense, and the Advanced Technology Program.
The Theater Missile Defense (TMD) program is considered the highest priority of the three major BMDO programs. The TMD is charged with defending
"U.S. forces, allies and other countries, including areas of vital interest to the U.S., from theater missile attacks."
TMD has two tiers, upper and lower, which are defined by the altitude at which the interception takes place, the speed of the interceptor, and the
speed of the incoming enemy missile. This essentially gives forces the ability to have multiple opportunities to destroy an enemy missile as it
crosses from one tier to another, or if it fluctuates, based on any changes in altitude or speed.
The National Missile Defense (NMD) program is charged with defending against a limited ballistic missile attack against the United States homeland.
Using sensors and ground based interceptors (GBI), NMD is a silo-based defense system which fires exoatmospheric interceptors in order to destroy any
incoming ballistic missiles.
The Advanced Technology Program is charged with keeping the BMD program "cost effective, reliable, and ahead of the increasingly sophisticated global
missile threat." The program basically supports research on new technologies and leaves the option open to improving upon existing systems and
technologies including interceptors, surveillance systems, sensors and
directed energy weapons (DEW).
The document goes on to describe the PAC-3 system as well as the Navy Area Defense Ballistic Missile Defense Program, along with it's
AEGIS system. The
Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is
also discussed, describing it as an "umbrella of missile protection in a theater, arching over all other missile defense systems."
Basically the document continues on to describe each of the BMDO's systems and advancements, providing graphs, models, specifications and background
information, including some
ABM Treaty information.
The document is an interesting read in learning about the ever changing ballistic missile defense programs of the United States and how different
world events affect the policy making and the technological developments of these programs.
Other Links:
www.defenselink.mil...
www.fas.org...
en.wikipedia.org...
www.globalsecurity.org...
[edit on 2/29/08 by NovusOrdoMundi]
Well done !!! 
