Missile defence

• The Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence System (ALTBMD) capability: The Alliance has launched a project to develop an Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence (ALTBMD) system to protect troops deployed on missions.
• Missile Defence for the protection of NATO territory: NATO also has approved the results of a study to examine options for protecting Alliance territory, forces and population centres against the full range of missile threats. At the Bucharest Summit in April 2008, Allied leaders recognized that the planned deployment of European-based US missile defence assets will help protect many Allies, and agreed that this capability should be an integral part of any future NATO-wide missile defence architecture. Options for a comprehensive missile defence architecture to extend coverage to all Allied territory not otherwise covered by the US system will be reviewed at NATO’s next Summit in 2009.
• TMD cooperation with Russia: under the auspices of NATO-Russia Council, work is ongoing to create the conditions for NATO and Russia to conduct joint TMD operations during crisis response missions.

Theatre Missile Defence (TMD)

The aim of the NATO programme for an Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence Capability to protect NATO forces is to have an initial operational capability by 2010.

Once implemented, the system will be deployable and used to protect troops in a specific area against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles. It will also have a capability against aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other aerial threats.

The system will consist of a multi-layered system of systems, comprising low and high-altitude defences (also called lower and upper layer defences), including battle management, communications, command and control (BMC3I), early warning sensors, radar, and various interceptors.

NATO member countries will provide the sensors and weapon systems, while NATO will develop the BMC3I segment and facilitate the integration of all these elements.

The technologies behind the system

Different systems are being developed, either nationally or multinationally, to deliver the capability to intercept ballistic missiles at different stages of flight:

• in the boost phase, missiles could be intercepted by armed UAVs or airborne lasers;
• in the mid-course phase, interception would be by upper layer missiles like the US Army’s future Theater High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD);
• in the final phase, interception would be the subject of several multinational, transatlantic programmes, including the Franco-Italian Surface Air Moyenne Portée / Terre (SAMP/T) system, the US-German-Italian Medium Extended Air Defence System (MEADS), and the US Patriot Advance Capability III (PAC-3).

Naval based assets will be an important component of NATO TMD. Naval theatre ballistic missile defence could be provided by systems mounted on warships, like the US Aegis system or in future by the European Primary Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS).

NATO TMD will require a robust interconnecting architecture for all these systems. This will be provided by the Air Command and Control System (ACCS), the Bi-Strategic Commands Automated Information System (Bi-SC AIS) and a communication segment, which NATO is developing and acquiring to provide a BMC3I capability for the entire spectrum of extended air defence of which NATO TMD will be part.

Implementation

Two parallel feasibility studies for a future Alliance TMD system, launched in May 2001, were conducted by teams led by Lockheed-Martin Missiles and Fire Control and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). NATO combined the technical options put forward by the two studies and developed a series of technical requirements for a future TMD architecture to meet military requirements.

A Programme Management Organization was established under the auspices of the Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) in March 2005. In September 2006, the first major contract for the development of a test bed for the system as awarded to SAIC. The contract, worth approximately 75 million euros, was signed by NATO and SAIC at NATO's November 2006 Riga Summit. This keeps NATO on track to have an initial operational capability by 2011.

 

Full-scale missile defence

A Missile Defence Feasibility Study was launched after the 2002 Prague Summit to examine options for protecting Alliance forces, territory and populations against the full range of missile threats. The study was executed by a transatlantic multinational industry team in cooperation with NATO. It concluded that missile defence is technically feasible within the limits and assumptions of the study. The results were approved by the CNAD in April 2006 and have provided a technical basis for ongoing political and military discussions regarding the desirability of a NATO missile defence system.

In this context, the Alliance has also considered the technical details, and political and military implications of the proposed elements of the US missile defence system in Europe. Parts of the overall US system could be placed in the Czech Republic and Poland, which would protect the territory of most NATO member countries from any potential missile threats. Ways to ensure this capability would be an integral part of any future NATO-wide missile defence architecture are currently being explored.

Options for a comprehensive missile defence architecture to extend coverage to all Allied territory not otherwise covered by the US system should be developed in time for review at NATO’s next summit in 2009.

At the Bucharest Summit, the Allies encouraged Russia to take advantage of US proposals for cooperation on missile defence. They also stated their readiness to explore the potential for linking US, NATO and Russian missile defence systems at an appropriate time.

TMD cooperation with Russia

Under the auspices of the NATO-Russia Council, a study was launched in 2003 to assess possible levels of interoperability among TMD systems of NATO Allies and Russia.

Together with the interoperability study, several computer assisted exercises have been held to provide the basis for future improvements to interoperability and to develop mechanisms and procedures for joint operations in the area of theatre missile defence.

Over three million euros have already been committed to the study and exercise programme.