Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to President Bush June 30 urging him to establish a new missile defense interceptor facility in Europe to enhance defenses against the “long range missile threat posed by Iran.” Frist noted that the Senate voted 98-0 to increase spending on missile defense above the requested level, and Frist urges the President to deploy interceptors at a site in Europe to counter the continuing development of Tehran’s ballistic missile capabilities while it’s nuclear program moves forward. Ensuring protection of NATO allies assures that “disparities in protection do not weaken the cohesion of the NATO alliance,” he states.
The Space Force’s work to establish a pool of at-the-ready commercial satellite capacity during a crisis is moving out of the pilot phase as the service prepares to award its next batch of contracts in 2026.
