I
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 Theater-
Wide system and the Theater High-Altitude Area De-
fense system.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Realistic Tests for Re-
alistic Threats National Security Act of 2001’’.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
The Congress makes the following findings:
(1) The Government of North Korea, on Au-
gust 31, 1998, launched a three-stage rocket called
the Taepo Dong I. Iran is currently developing the
Shahab 5 missile.
(2) The Taepo Dong rocket, when configured
and deployed as a ballistic missile, and the Shahab
5 missile will each pose a threat to United States
military forces deployed in Asia and to Asian and
European allies of the United States and may pose
a threat to the United States itself.
(3) The United States is committed to pro-
tecting its forward deployed forces, its allies in Asia
and Europe, and United States citizens against the
threat of ballistic missile attack through the develop-
ment and deployment of ballistic missile defense sys-
tems, including the Navy Theater-Wide system and
the Theater High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
system.
(4) The Taepo Dong I rocket, when configured
as a ballistic missile, and the Shahab 5 missile are
each estimated to have a maximum velocity greater
than the velocity of the targets in currently planned
tests against target of either the Navy Theater-Wide
system or the Theater High Altitude Area Defense
system. If these systems are not tested against tar-
get missiles with velocities comparable to the max-
imum velocity of the Taepo Dong I missile, the
United States will not be capable of meeting the
threat posed by the near-term deployment of the
Taepo Dong I missile by North Korea or the Shahab
5 missile by Iran.
(5) Both the Navy Theater-Wide system and
the Theater High Altitude Area Defense system
should be tested in a way to demonstrate their re-
spective capabilities to intercept missiles with the
flight characteristics, and particularly with the max-
imum velocity, of the Taepo Dong I missile.
SEC. 3. TESTING OF NAVY THEATER-WIDE SYSTEM OR THE-
ATER HIGH-ALTITUDE AREA DEFENSE SYS-
TEM.
(a) TEST.—The Director of the Ballistic Missile De-
fense Organization of the Department of Defense shall
conduct at least one intercept test of the Navy Theater-
Wide system or the Theater High Altitude Area Defense
system, or both, against a target ballistic missile with the
flight characteristics, including the maximum velocity, of
the Taepo Dong I missile of North Korea at a logical point
consistent with the current testing programs of the two
systems.
(b) PROGRAM MANAGEMENT.—The Director of the
Ballistic Missile Defense Organization shall take imme-
diate steps to modify plans for managing the development
of the Navy Theater-Wide system or the Theater High Al-
titude Area Defense system, or both, as necessary to con-
duct the intercept testing required by subsection (a).
(c) SYSTEM CONFIGURATION.—The Director of the
Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, in order to improve
the likelihood that an intercept test pursuant to subsection
(a) is successful, should review changes in the configura-
tion of the system chosen for the conduct of that test—
(1) to increase the speed of the interceptor mis-
siles of that system to well in excess of three kilo-
meters-per-second; and
(2) to allow the interceptor missiles of that sys-
tem to receive and use targeting data provided by a
variety of external sensors, including shipboard
radar, airborne sensors, ground-based radar, and
satellite sensors.
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