Campaign for the Accountability of American Bases

More videos about Missile Defense can be found on How Stuff Works – www.howstuffworks.com/missile-defense.htm and on the Missile Defense Agency website www.mda.mil – beware! while viewing these videos please have in mind the list of concerns and problems with the US Missile Defense system.

CAAB has been and continues to be deeply concerned about the US Missile Defense system (commonly known as “Star Wars”) since first discovering and revealing the UK connection in 1997. We were the first campaign in the UK to find out that the American base at Menwith Hill and later RAF Fylingdales were key to Missile Defense.

In 1998 we brought out a legal action in the High Court London to stop the building of the two Space Based Infra Red (SBIRS) radomes which had been announced in a tucked away press release in the public files in Harrogate Planning department. The legal action went on for a year. We had to conceed the case when Bill Clinton came to the end of his Presidency and handed on the decision whether to deploy Missile Defense to George W Bush.

We have worked ever since to publicise the truth about this dangerous and deadly US weapons system in space – for US military and economic interests only.

Some of the concerns predicted in 1997 were that Missile Defense would:

• result in the weaponisation of space
• start a new arms race
• needing massive resources if the system was ever to be deployed
• produce technology that would not work
• impact on prospects for disarmament and arms control
• be an offensive system and a ‘first strike’ weapons system in space
• cause international tensions

Worryingly many of these concerns, flagged up in 1997 are coming to be – the latest being the signing of agreements for radar facilities and missile silos in the Czech Republic and Poland which is causing international tension between Russia and the US and the potential start of a new ‘Cold War’.

US Rationale and Information

The medium of space is the fourth medium of warfare – along with land, sea and air Space power……….the emerging synergy of space superiority with land, sea and air superiority will lead to Full Spectrum Dominance….this Full Specturm Dominance will be the key characteristic we seek for our Armed Forces in the 21st century – Joint Vision 2010 – 1997

We know from history that every medium-air, land and sea-has seen conflict. Reality indicates that space will be no different. Given this virtual certainty, the U.S. must develop the means both to deter and to defend against hostile acts in and from space. This will require superior space capabilities. – Report of The Commission to Assess United States National Security Space Management and Organization, January 2001

Refer to:

• Joint Vision for 2010 (1997) www.dtic.mil/jv2010/jvpub.htm
• Joint Vision for 2020 (2000) www.dtic.mil/jointvision/jv2020.docA
• The Independent Working Group Report on ‘Missile Defense, the Space Relationship, and the Twenty-First Century’ published in the US in 2007 www.ifpa.org/publications/IWGReport.htm
• Official website of the Missile Defense Agency www.mda.mil

The History and True Nature of Missile Defense

Much has been written about the dangers and true nature of the US Missile Defense system. Rather than duplicate this information may we direct you to some credible organisations where you will find interesting data on the history, analysis, and problems of Missile Defense:

• Federation of American Scientists www.fas.org
• British American Security Information Council (BASIC) www.basicint.org
• Oxford Research Group (ORG) www.oxfordresearchgroup.org.uk
• The Acronym Institute www.acronym.org.uk
• Global Network Against Weapons and Nuclear Power in Space www.space4peace.org
• Missile Defense Working Group www.mdwg.org.uk (not updated but contains some good information and analysis)
• Website of the Center for Defense Information (US) www.cdi.org

The Future of U.S.Missile Defense

U.S Missile Defence Agency

“The U.S. has spent more than $60 billion deploying a land-, sea- and air-based missile defense system aimed at intercepting intercontinental ballistic missiles. The complex and controversial system has drawn sharp criticism for its cost and questionable efficiency, even as the Pentagon looks to the future of missile defense.”

“Now it’s set to go global, with the involvement of both European and Asian allies. Yet critics argue much of this system will not work in the event of an actual attack.”

Read this series of articles on npr.org

The US Missile Defense Agency’s explanation as to what Missile Defense is..

Despite intensive developments and testing the system is not operational. It is important to remember that the rational behind this system is an offensive weapons system – for ‘full spectrum domination’ of space and for US military and economic interests only.
US Ballistic Missile Defense System Overview (pdf)

Useful website

with articles on security, nuclear issues and missile defense matters.
Ian Davis Consultancy – Human Security & Global Arms Control

Outer Space

Militarization, weaponization, and the prevention of an arms race

Prevent an Arms Race in Outer Space
“Reaching Critical Will” – The PAROS working group

Congressional Research Service report to Members of the Congress – Long Range Ballistic Missile Defense in Europe – 13 June 2008
Read the report [pdf]

The U.S.-built Ground-based Mid-course Interceptors planned for Poland might be directed against “rogue states” such as North Korea and Iran, but no one pretends that the Patriot PAC-3 anti-ballistic missile interceptors that can shoot down short-range or intermediate-range ballistic missiles or the stationing of American troops in Poland are directed at any country other than Russia.