Huntsville, Alabama Firm Selected for MDA’s SHIELD Contract

Huntsville Firm Selected for MDA’s SHIELD Contract

"...Resolution, LLC, a Huntsville-based veteran-owned small business, has been selected as an awardee for a contract with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) under the Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) program. The SHIELD contract supports the development of a multi-layered defense architecture designed to provide continuous protection against a range of evolving threats. Faster acquisition of the technology needed to underpin homeland defense is a strategic goal of SHIELD. SHIELD is a 10-year contract with a $151 billion ceiling..."

Reference: huntsvillebusinessjournal.com .

Northrop Grumman Advances Homeland Defense with Early NGI Milestone

Northrop Grumman Advances Homeland Defense with Early NGI Milestone

"...In a significant step forward for U.S. homeland defense capabilities, Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) and its Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) team, in collaboration with the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), have successfully completed the All-Up Round (AUR) Preliminary Design Review (PDR) well ahead of the original schedule set by the contract. This achievement underscores the team's commitment to accelerating the deployment of this critical defense system to protect against intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) threats...."

Reference: www.spacewar.com .

Why The U.S. Needs A Third Site For National Missile Defense

Why The U.S. Needs A Third Site For National Missile Defense

"...why the U.S. has no plans for intercepting a Russian or Chinese nuclear attack on America, and an inadequate system for countering North Korea’s growing arsenal. Present strategy is to threaten potential aggressors with such overwhelming retaliation that it would be suicidal to attack. ...it leaves the nation largely undefended against the greatest threat to its survival. To put it bluntly, if Russia or China or North Korea elected to launch even a handful of nuclear warheads...Given the scale of the danger and the pace at which it is evolving, the current missile defense system is grossly inadequate. And yet year after year, the Pentagon spends less than 1% of its budget on missile defense of the homeland."

Reference: www.forbes.com .

Missile Agency Seeks Funds for Defensive Systems

Missile Agency Seeks Funds for Defensive Systems

Defense Press Release, By Terri Moon Cronk, American Forces Press Service, http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=62811

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2011 – A ground-based system for homeland defense and interceptors for regional defense highlight the Missile Defense Agency’s portion of the Defense Department’s fiscal 2012 budget request.

The agency requested more than $8.6 billion for fiscal 2012, compared to last year’s requested $8.4 billion, Navy Rear Adm. Randall M. Hendrickson, the agency’s deputy director, told Pentagon reporters yesterday via video teleconference from Colorado Springs, Colo.

“The 2012 budget is predicated on and assumes the eventual approval of [fiscal] 2011's requested levels of $8.41 billion," he said.

If approved, the $8.6 billion budget would be used to pay for completing the initial fielding of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System for homeland defense, in addition to enhancing regional defenses with at least two interceptor systems against short-, medium- and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, Hendrickson said.

Homeland security projects include completing the purchase of six ground-based interceptors and the purchase of five more, as well as finishing 14 missile-launching silos at Fort Greeley, Alaska, and starting work on a new East Coast communications terminal, the admiral said.

Regional defense plans include purchasing 68 Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense interceptors, six launchers and a tactical station group. The plan calls for purchasing 46 standard sea-based interceptors, among other projects.

The third phase, Robust Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile Defense, is expected to be completed in 2018. System improvements would include expanded shooter coordination and improved radar, Hendrickson said.

The fourth phase, Early Intercept and Regional Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Defense, is scheduled to be completed in 2020.

The projects to complete the third and fourth phases include completing the preliminary design for the Precision Tracking Space System satellite, and finishing the final designs and engineering models for its spacecraft bus, optical payload and communication payload components.

Reference: Terri Moon Cronk, American Forces Press Service .