http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=5346
24 October 2003
First ground-based Midcourse Defense Brigade activated
By Maj. Laura Kennedy
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. (Army News Service, Oct. 23, 2003) -
U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the Colorado Army
National Guard activated the nation's first ground-based Midcourse Defense
Brigade Oct. 16.
The brigade will operate the first part of the integrated Ballistic Missile
Defense System, which, in concert with sister services, is designed to protect
the nation from accidental or intentional limited
ballistic missile attacks, officials said. It will be manned both by Colorado
Army National Guard and active-component soldiers.
The brigade will provide expertise to Northern Command's command and control
operations from the Cheyenne Mountain Operations Center.
Another component of the brigade, the Alaska Army National Guard Missile
Defense Space Battalion, will be activated in December, officials said. That
component will provide operational control over ground-based interceptors
located in Alaska.
Lt. Gen. Joseph M. Cosumano Jr., commanding general of U.S. Space and
Missile Defense Command, and Air Force Maj. Gen. Mason C. Whitney, Adjutant
General of the Colorado National Guard, hosted the ceremony.
Cosumano said:
"The missile defense strategy of the 20th century was largely based on
the concept that rational countries won't attack each other. We've learned in
the 21st Century that that those theories don't apply anymore. Hostile states,
and even non-state hostile groups, now either have or are working on
long-range missiles. This activation today of an important part of our
homeland defense strategy allows us to defend against that threat.
"The technology and the organizations have changed dramatically to meet
the current threat.
"The technology has changed from nuclear kill to hit-to-kill. In two wars
now, Patriot has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that we can hit a missile
with a missile, despite naysayers of past years. Now we can do
it in space.
"As to organizational change -- where we're having this ceremony, in
front of the US Northern Command building, and close to both the Army and Air
Force space buildings, is indicative of the joint nature of this effort to
protect our great nation. We'll be depending on Navy Aegis missile cruisers,
and on the early warning architecture of the Air Force, as well as the superb
skills and training of our own soldiers.
"And within the GMD Brigade itself, we see the melding of active
component service men and women with Colorado National Guardsmen. The Guard is
a perfect fit for this mission, with the genesis of their role in national
defense dating back to the 1600s. That makes them a natural
for this mission, just as Colorado, the hub and nerve center of Space for the
nation, is the most logical site for command and control."
Whitney said:
"We are tremendously proud to be part of this mission. It continues in
direct descent the role of the Guardsman in protecting our nation. The only
difference between that mission of two hundred plus years ago and
now is that, with our current technology, we can defend more rapidly and
accurately. Even being in Space isn't new, we've been in Space over ten years
now. In all three buildings behind me, you'll find both Air Force and Army
National Guardsmen. I congratulate all the members of the new
Ground-based Midcourse Defense Brigade, and wish them well as they begin a new
tradition of excellence."
Col. Gary Baumann, commander of the newly activated brigade, also spoke:
"In the 1970's, we briefly had the capability to defend ourselves against
the threat of ballistic missiles. At that point, intelligence
indicated that nine countries possessed such capabilities. Today, that number
has increased threefold. This unit's activation is a small step towards
ensuring the safety of our nation. In December 2002, the President of the
United States directed that we push the fielding of this system up from 2006,
to 2004. I believe we are on target to meet those goals. Our soldiers, chosen
from the best across the state and nation, are well-trained, excited, and
looking forward to the challenge, and have been working tirelessly to be
prepared for it."
--
(Editor's note: Maj. Laura Kenney is with the Space and Missile Defense
Command - Colorado Springs Public Affairs Office.)
