Ballistic, cruise missile proliferation worries U.S.

• Author: Fein, Geoff S.
• Position: Missile Defense

As the United States moves closer to implementing a missile defense system, concern is growing that adversaries will resort to other methods to defeat U.S. forces, said Lt. Gen. Joe Cosumano, commanding general of the Army's Space and Missile Defense Command.

Enemies could use a variety of measures to counter U.S. missile interceptors. Those tactics could range from the simple-chaffs--to the complex, such as sophisticated technologies to deflect or destroy U.S. missiles, Cosumano told the 2005 Space and Missile Defense Conference in Huntsville, Ala.

Several countries clearly have recognized the capabilities of decoys, said Clyde Walker, director of the Missile and Space Intelligence Center at the Defense Intelligence Agency.

"[There are a] number of countries doing research. We expect them to continue that development," he said.

The perception of increased regional threats is s driving investments in missile programs, said Col. Michael Engle, deputy commander of National Air Intelligence Center.

"Countries are shifting to longer range ballistic missiles," he said. "Ballistic missile numbers will increase as accuracy and destructive impact grow."

In the 1990s, China, Russia and Saudi Arabia were the only countries with these systems. Today, North Korea, Iraq, India and Pakistan have joined the pack, Engle said.

Of those countries, China has the most developed ballistic missile program. It is in the process of developing a long range ICBM.

Of all the countries developing missile programs, North Korea poses the most serious threat, he said. North Korea successfully tested a two-stage booster rocket in 1998 and is developing a newer missile that could be capable of hitting Hawaii or Alaska, Engle said.

North Korea is the world's major exporter of missile technology to countries such as Iran and Pakistan, he added.

North Korea is also the number one exporter of theater ballistic missiles, selling systems to Iran, Syria and Yemen, said Walker.

Developing and exporting missile technology is a major source of revenue for North Korea. To protect its investment, the country has built underground missile facilities, he said.

To date, at least 25 countries have theater ballistic missiles in their inventory, or are developing them, said Walker.

"Russia has a new theater ballistic missile, but it hasn't sold it," he added.

With increased regional instabilities throughout the Middle East, for example, TBMs remain a threat. Those concerns are likely to...