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107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. R. 1282

To provide for a testing program for the Navy Theater-Wide system and

the Theater High-Altitude Area Defense system.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 28, 2001

Mr. VITTER introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee

on Armed Services

A BILL

To provide for a testing program for the Navy TheaterWide system and the Theater High-Altitude Area Defense system.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Realistic Tests for Re5 alistic Threats National Security Act of 2001’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 The Congress makes the following findings:

8 (1) The Government of North Korea, on Au9 gust 31, 1998, launched a three-stage rocket called
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1 the Taepo Dong I. Iran is currently developing the

2 Shahab 5 missile.

3 (2) The Taepo Dong rocket, when configured

4 and deployed as a ballistic missile, and the Shahab

5 5 missile will each pose a threat to United States

6 military forces deployed in Asia and to Asian and

7 European allies of the United States and may pose

8 a threat to the United States itself.

9 (3) The United States is committed to pro10 tecting its forward deployed forces, its allies in Asia

11 and Europe, and United States citizens against the

12 threat of ballistic missile attack through the develop13 ment and deployment of ballistic missile defense sys14 tems, including the Navy Theater-Wide system and

15 the Theater High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)

16 system.

17 (4) The Taepo Dong I rocket, when configured

18 as a ballistic missile, and the Shahab 5 missile are

19 each estimated to have a maximum velocity greater

20 than the velocity of the targets in currently planned

21 tests against target of either the Navy Theater-Wide

22 system or the Theater High Altitude Area Defense

23 system. If these systems are not tested against tar24 get missiles with velocities comparable to the max25 imum velocity of the Taepo Dong I missile, the
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1 United States will not be capable of meeting the

2 threat posed by the near-term deployment of the

3 Taepo Dong I missile by North Korea or the Shahab

4 5 missile by Iran.

5 (5) Both the Navy Theater-Wide system and

6 the Theater High Altitude Area Defense system

7 should be tested in a way to demonstrate their re8 spective capabilities to intercept missiles with the

9 flight characteristics, and particularly with the max10 imum velocity, of the Taepo Dong I missile.

11 SEC. 3. TESTING OF NAVY THEATER-WIDE SYSTEM OR THE12 ATER HIGH-ALTITUDE AREA DEFENSE SYS13 TEM.

14 (a) TEST.—The Director of the Ballistic Missile De15 fense Organization of the Department of Defense shall

16 conduct at least one intercept test of the Navy Theater17 Wide system or the Theater High Altitude Area Defense

18 system, or both, against a target ballistic missile with the

19 flight characteristics, including the maximum velocity, of

20 the Taepo Dong I missile of North Korea at a logical point

21 consistent with the current testing programs of the two

22 systems.

23 (b) PROGRAM MANAGEMENT.—The Director of the

24 Ballistic Missile Defense Organization shall take imme25 diate steps to modify plans for managing the development
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1 of the Navy Theater-Wide system or the Theater High Al2 titude Area Defense system, or both, as necessary to con3 duct the intercept testing required by subsection (a).

4 (c) SYSTEM CONFIGURATION.—The Director of the

5 Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, in order to improve

6 the likelihood that an intercept test pursuant to subsection

7 (a) is successful, should review changes in the configura8 tion of the system chosen for the conduct of that test—

9 (1) to increase the speed of the interceptor mis10 siles of that system to well in excess of three kilo11 meters-per-second; and

12 (2) to allow the interceptor missiles of that sys13 tem to receive and use targeting data provided by a

14 variety of external sensors, including shipboard

15 radar, airborne sensors, ground-based radar, and

16 satellite sensors.

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