{
  "id": "RL30654",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "RL30654",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 101978,
      "date": "2000-08-25",
      "retrieved": "2016-05-24T20:34:01.292941",
      "title": "National Missile Defense and Early Warning Radars: Background and Issues",
      "summary": "The Clinton Administration is scheduled to decide by Fall 2000 whether the United States should\nbegin deploying a National Missile Defense (NMD) system. This system could achieve initial\noperational capability by 2005 and would be designed to protect the United States from a limited\nattack by intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs). As currently envisioned, the NMD system\nwould operate as an integrated system that would rely on a variety of sensors to detect and track\nincoming missiles. One key program element is to upgrade the existing Early Warning Radars\n(EWR) so that they can detect and track the incoming missiles sooner. These upgrades include both\nhardware and software modifications to the existing radars. The earlier detection and tracking allows\na \"shoot-look-shoot\" strategy, i.e., sequential launching of multiple interceptors at each incoming\nmissile to increase the probability of intercept. This report provides background information and\ntechnical details of these planned upgrades as well as their cost and schedule.\n  NMD remains one of the most controversial national security issues. An in-depth analysis of\nthe NMD program and the debate on it can be found in CRS Issue Brief IB10034. Although the\nEWR have not yet generated much discussion, their upgrades may also become controversial.\nMembers of Congress could focus on the cost and technical capability of the upgrades, on the\nlegality of these upgrades under the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, or on the\ninternational implications of the radars that are located outside the United States. This report will\naddress the issues associated with the planned radar upgrades and the related options for Congress.\n  The early warning radars planned for the NMD system include the three PAVE PAWS radars\nat Cape Cod, Massachusetts; Clear, Alaska; and Beale, California; and the two Ballistic Missile\nEarly Warning System (BMEWS) radars at Thule, Greenland (Denmark) and Fylingdales, U.K.. The\ncurrent mission of these five radars is to provide the North American Aerospace Defense Command\n(NORAD) with early warning and assessment of incoming ICBMs and SLBMs. The upgraded\nradars will be designed to support the new NMD requirements without impacting their current\nNORAD mission.\n  The Administration argues that upgrading current radars provides effective, low-cost sensors\nfor the NMD mission by reusing about 80% of the equipment at the existing radar sites. Due to the\nradar operating frequency, the upgraded radars could only provide accurate tracking information for\na few warheads accompanied by simple decoys. Thus, the Administration argues that these radar\nupgrades are for limited defense against limited attacks, not total defense against more advanced\nICBM attacks.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
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      "topics": []
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Affairs",
    "National Defense"
  ]
}