Pentagon eyes growing short-range missile threat.

• Author: Kennedy, Harold
• Position: URBAN WARFARE

Defense Department officials are warning that terrorists soon could strike U.S. cities with short-range missiles.

"The department is worried about asymmetric threats, for example, terrorists with a missile or two on a tramp freighter off our shores," Terry Little, executive director of the Missile Defense Agency, told an Institute for Defense and Government Advancement conference in Washington, D.C.

Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry "Trey" Obering, the agency's chief, speaking at a gathering of defense reporters, said that such missiles are surprisingly easy to use.

In August 2004, "we launched a Scud from an ocean-going platform, and it was not hard," Obering said.

The Scud is a family of inaccurate tactical ballistic missiles that were developed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War and exported widely to other countries. One can be transported and launched from a truck or ship, which makes it difficult to target.

Such missiles are continuing to proliferate, Little said. The oldest Scuds have a range of 130 kilometers, but newer tactical missiles reach further. North Korea in February was reported to be developing a Scud capable of reaching targets 1,000 kilometers away. In May, Iran successfully tested a solid-fuel motor for its Shahab-3 missile, which has a range of 2,000 kilometers.

With such weapons, Little said, Iran could threaten much of Western Europe. North Korea could do the same for countries as far away as the Philippines.

Equally worrisome is the spread of cruise missiles and unmanned combat aerial vehicles, which are precision-guided and small enough to be launched from ships and aircraft, said Col. Edward L. Mullin, program manager of the Army's cruise missile defense office at Redstone Arsenal, Ala. A number of factor makes them dangerous, he said, including:

Performance. Unlike traditional ballistic missiles, which are launched from fixed bases and fall under gravity on their targets, cruise versions and UAVs can be precisely guided and approach targets from any direction.

UAVs have a standoff capability that allows operators to control exactly when to strike. Cruise missiles offer fleeting targets. They can fly as low as 50 meters, and at high speeds--more than 500 miles an hour.

Stealth. Cruise missiles and UAVs are small. They offer a small radar cross section and low infrared and acoustic signature.

Versatility. UAVs can perform a number of missions, including reconnaissance, surveillance, target acquisition, attack and...