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Partial Defense System Could Deter Attackers
Aired December 17, 2002 - 14:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Just moments ago during the Pentagon briefing, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld came out and said a pretty brass statement, saying that the U.S. cannot protect itself from incoming ballistic missiles. We have been talking about the benefits of a missile shield throughout the morning.
CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor joins us now with some insight to how much protection such a system could actually promote -- David, talk to us about it.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it is a limited system, but President Bush made it official today, ordering the U.S. military to deploy the system to protect the United States against a ballistic missile attack, a system first proposed by the Clinton administration.
It is ten ground-based missiles that could hit incoming ballistic missiles to be placed at Fort Greely, Alaska by 2004. And that will be followed by ten additional missiles the following year.
Also in Alaska, there will be upgraded -- upgraded equipment and new radars for early warning. The U.S. is seeking to upgrade existing radars also in Greenland and the United Kingdom, which would be used by the U.S. for early warning of approaching missiles from the West.
It is a limited system, says Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, but he is calling it a start.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We do not have a missile defense capability. The United States cannot defend itself currently against ballistic missiles coming from anywhere, from the sea or from another continent, wherever. And for whatever reason, a lot of people believed all along that we did have that capability. We don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENSOR: In addition, the president's plan calls for some steps beyond the Clinton plan, including interceptor missiles to be placed within a few years on Aegis ships at sea. And it includes speeded up deployment of the latest version of the Patriot missile to intercept short and medium-range missiles, such as Scuds.
The reason for this deployment, the main threat it is designed to counter can be summed up in one country: North Korea. The 1998 launch by North Korea of a three-stage No Dong missile that flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean shocked U.S. policymakers with how far along the North Koreans were, and led the Clinton administration to make plans for this ground-based interceptor system to be based in Alaska.
Some experts are skeptical that the initial Alaska-based system will really work. The most recent test in December on the 11th of a ground-based interceptor did fail, but analysts say that at least the 10 interceptors might give North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, some doubts about whether or not he could successfully hit a U.S. target.
So on balance, U.S. officials say they believe this limited system, even if it's not 100 percent, is worth deploying, and they plan to have it in place by 2004 -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: David, quickly, why Alaska?
ENSOR: Basically because it is near North Korea. The threat from North Korea would come over the Pacific. If missiles were coming from that direction, and that is the greatest threat in the view of U.S. policymakers, then the place to see them coming with radar and the place to hit them is Alaska.
PHILLIPS: Makes sense. David Ensor, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 17, 2002 - 14:21 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Just moments ago during the Pentagon briefing, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld came out and said a pretty brass statement, saying that the U.S. cannot protect itself from incoming ballistic missiles. We have been talking about the benefits of a missile shield throughout the morning.
CNN National Security Correspondent David Ensor joins us now with some insight to how much protection such a system could actually promote -- David, talk to us about it.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it is a limited system, but President Bush made it official today, ordering the U.S. military to deploy the system to protect the United States against a ballistic missile attack, a system first proposed by the Clinton administration.
It is ten ground-based missiles that could hit incoming ballistic missiles to be placed at Fort Greely, Alaska by 2004. And that will be followed by ten additional missiles the following year.
Also in Alaska, there will be upgraded -- upgraded equipment and new radars for early warning. The U.S. is seeking to upgrade existing radars also in Greenland and the United Kingdom, which would be used by the U.S. for early warning of approaching missiles from the West.
It is a limited system, says Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, but he is calling it a start.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD RUMSFELD, SECRETARY OF DEFENSE: We do not have a missile defense capability. The United States cannot defend itself currently against ballistic missiles coming from anywhere, from the sea or from another continent, wherever. And for whatever reason, a lot of people believed all along that we did have that capability. We don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ENSOR: In addition, the president's plan calls for some steps beyond the Clinton plan, including interceptor missiles to be placed within a few years on Aegis ships at sea. And it includes speeded up deployment of the latest version of the Patriot missile to intercept short and medium-range missiles, such as Scuds.
The reason for this deployment, the main threat it is designed to counter can be summed up in one country: North Korea. The 1998 launch by North Korea of a three-stage No Dong missile that flew over Japan and landed in the Pacific Ocean shocked U.S. policymakers with how far along the North Koreans were, and led the Clinton administration to make plans for this ground-based interceptor system to be based in Alaska.
Some experts are skeptical that the initial Alaska-based system will really work. The most recent test in December on the 11th of a ground-based interceptor did fail, but analysts say that at least the 10 interceptors might give North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Il, some doubts about whether or not he could successfully hit a U.S. target.
So on balance, U.S. officials say they believe this limited system, even if it's not 100 percent, is worth deploying, and they plan to have it in place by 2004 -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: David, quickly, why Alaska?
ENSOR: Basically because it is near North Korea. The threat from North Korea would come over the Pacific. If missiles were coming from that direction, and that is the greatest threat in the view of U.S. policymakers, then the place to see them coming with radar and the place to hit them is Alaska.
PHILLIPS: Makes sense. David Ensor, thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
