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The following links contain valuable information about current government programs dealing with missile defense, other think tanks and institutions writing about the strategic issues surrounding missile defense, some missile defense contractors, and other important sources.
Government Links
Missile Defense Agency - The MDA is what remains of President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative [SDI] and President Bush's scale back in 1991 to Global Protection Against Limited Strikes [GPALS] and is the segment of the armed forces dedicated to testing all types of missile defense systems. The MDA is responsible both for any type of National Missile Defense system and for developing theater or other limited missile defense systems along with the services that use them.
MDA's links page contains several of these related service and joint service ballistic missile defense efforts.
United States Space Command- While US SpaceCom is not involved in shooting down ballistic missiles (yet), an essentialcomponent of any missile defense system will be Space support for monitoring ballistic missile launch and in the future calculating intercepts. Two US SpaceCom programs do this. Currently the Defense Support Program [DSP] tracks missile and rocket launches as well as looks for nuclear blasts. This aging system will most likely be replaced by the SBIRS Low and High Satellite Constellations, originally entitled "Brilliant Eyes," which can in addition to tracking launches on Earth, track and discriminate warheads' flights through space. The Federation of American Scientists, although hostile to missile defense, maintain generally fair and accurate information on the SBIRS/Brilliant Eyes System, found here.
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command- The Army's branch of Space Command. Good information on the High Energy Laser, the Kwajalien Missile Test Range and other innovative programs.
Naval Theater Wide Ballistic Missile Defense- The U.S. Navy does not currently keep any one site devoted to covering the most promising near term solution to the ballistic missile threat and is limited by the ABM treaty from touting the capabilities of the Standard Missile or AEGIS platform. However there are some useful fact sheets and help files which we have linked for you. (This page, while still under construction, should be promising in the future.)
Think Tanks, Issues Advocacy and News Groups
FIT-AIM-ACT Campaigns If you see the importance in promoting the strongest possible military, an effective missile defense, and an aggressive war on terrorism, we invite you to participate in our campaigns. Together, we can send a clear and uncompromising message to those seeking our destruction... and the destruction of freedom worldwide. High Frontier is proud to be a sponsoring organization of FIT-AIM-ACT.
Defense Central Station One of our partner sites, Defense Central Station posts articles by Ambassador Cooper, Ken Adelman, Jeane Kirkpatrick and other experts on foreign policy and missile defense.The Heritage Foundation Containing up to date information on BMD and the ABM treaty, Heritage sponsored commission also recently completed a report entitled Defending America with High Frontier's Director Ambassador Hank Cooper acting as chair of the commission.
Americans for a Strong Defense- Dedicated to protecting our families from the threat of ballistic missiles, Americans for a Strong Defense looks away from the international issues surrounding missile defense and instead focuses on the individual level. By simply typing in a zipcode, an individual can find out how many countries' ballistic missiles threaten their home and what they can individually do to mitigate that threat- whether through issues advocacy to the local media or letters to one's Representative in Congress.
Center for Strategic and International Studies- CSIS covers a wide range of security issues including missile defense. Categorized under the broader shield of Homeland defense, CSIS's missile defense specific reports can be found here.
Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs- Israel has recently joined Russia as the only other country with national missile defenses. Look for articles on the JINSA sight particularly about the ARROW and THEL missile defense systems.
The Marshall Institute- A more technically focused think tank that runs occasional pieces on missile defense.
The Family Research Council- An issues highway dedicated to promoting "the traditional family and the Judeo-Christian principles upon which it is built," the FRC maintains a great deal of information on missile threats and security issues.
www.missilethreat.com- An excellent, well researched, beautifully animated site dedicated to pointing out threats the United States faces from ballistic missiles. Run by the Claremont Institute, missilethreat.com is not to be missed and is good starting point for anyone interested in the subject.
The Center for Security Policy- Another pro-missile defense think tank, the CSP reacts regularly to events in the news concerning missile defense and has written several reports on the subject.
Global Security News- A comprehensive security issues news site, GSN also maintains a topics page devoted to missile defense.
The Henry L. Stimson Center- A public policy institute devoted to security issues, the Stimson center is a premier source of academic research and specializes in WMD threats with some attention to missile defense.
The Federation of American Scientists- The FAS is anti-missile defense. However, the FAS maintains tremendous databases of mostly accurate and usually unbiased technical information on Ballistic Missile Defense and Weapons of Mass Destruction. High Frontier encourages its supporters to examine both sides of the missile defense issue.
The Institute for Foriegn Policy Analysis- Founded in 1976, the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis (IFPA)
is an independent and nonpartisan research and strategic planning organization that specializes in issues of national
security, foreign policy, political economics, and government-industrial relations.Frontiers of Freedom- Founded by former Senator Malcom Wallop (R-WY), an ardent proponent of missile defense, Frontiers of Freedom "stands tall in our defense of individual liberty and personal responsibility." Their page on missile defense systems will be extremely useful and Frontiers of Freedom provides an excellent forum for conservaqtive activism.
The S.A.F.E. Foundation- Safeguarding America For Everyone, the S.A.F.E. Foudation seeks to educate the public on the threats it faces from non-traditional sources as well as the responses America has to meet them. Their "Threat Board" is detailed and interactive map of the nuclear, biological, chemical, and computer threats we all face.
Institute of the North- The mission of the Institute of the North is to conduct research and teaching in the regional, national, and international strategies governing the use of our northern resources with particular attention to defense. Because Alaska right now is most directly affected by the President's proposed missile defense test bed the Institute is paying even closer attention to the issue.
Missile Defense Contractors and Industry
Boeing- Usually known for their commercial airliner manufacturing, Boeing plays an integral part in national missile defense, from missile development, to space launch, to Anti-Satellite forces and even such high tech projects as the airborne laser.
Lockheed Martin- A major defense contractor, Lockheed Martin works hand in hand with the BMDO in developing effective missile defenses. The Martin Marietta Corporation, merged with Lockheed in 1995, was the prime contractor of the Brilliant Pebbles space based missile defense system developed during the 1990s. Until scrapped by President Clinton, Martin Marietta's design was well along in development and could have been operational today.
TRW- Thompson Ramo Wooldrige is involved in a wide range of missile defense activities specializing in the Space Based Laser, the Tactical High Energy Laser, the SBIRS low program, and battle management command and control systems.
Other LinksSpace Transportation Association- STA is High Frontier's sister group, started to solve the problem of high launch costs associated with a space based missile defense system. Currently, STA brings together the launch industry and actively monitors developments in launch technology.
The Cox Report- Released on May 25th, 1999, the bi-partisan Cox commission investigated US national security and military/commercial concerns with the People's Republic of China. The report details the theft of US nuclear warhead designs by the PRC as well as the Hughes Loral technology transfer debacle, pointing out the improved capability of Chinese nuclear forces and the threat the even greater threat that the PRC now poses to US interests.
The Rumsfeld Report- This July 1998 report from the special Commission to Assess the Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States, chaired by Donald Rumsfeld, concluded that the United States faced an unacceptable vulnerability to surprise ballistic missile attack.
Sunsat Energy Council- Sunsat is developing means of space-based solar power generation and that powers transmission back to Earth. There efforts benefit both our worsening energy crisis and can supply the power necessary for advanced space-based directed energy weapons that in that in the future will play a significant role in ballistic missile defense.
Institute of World Politics- An independent graduate school in Washington offering courses on Statecraft and National Security, with several distinguished faculty who have played roles in the development of missile defense.
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