Missile Defense Command and Control System Makes Quiet Progress

摘要

Intercept tests have grabbed all the attention in the Pentagon's effort to deploy a national missile shield, but other exercises taking place on a daily basis are every bit as important, according to a senior U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) official. The nerve center of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system is its command-and-control network, and the MDA is putting that component through intensive drills in a process that the official likened to preparing a sports team for a big game. The so-called shakedown testing must be completed before the Ground-based Midcourse Defense System can truly be considered operational.