U.S., Japan collaborate on missile defense exercise

gc · 07-10-2007, 07:41 AM

1 min!! That's real fast.

U.S., Japan collaborate on missile defense exercise

Posted: 07/09/2007
How can the Prime Minister of Japan find out the exact path of a hostile missile less than one minute after launch?

“It takes a bilateral effort between the U.S. and Japan,” said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Weatherford, U.S. 7th Fleet’s Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Operations Officer.

The two countries held a regional BMD exercise July 6 and accomplished what they consider a major feat – they calculated and shared the information needed to track a hostile missile from its launch along its intended path, and passed that information to various assets.

“The timeline for us to determine the path missiles travel in is very short,” said Weatherford. “You need to be able to share information quickly so the leaders can make decisions in a timely manner. This time, we actually passed the tracking information all the way to Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe’s office.”

According to Weatherford, the timeframe for that information transfer took about one minute.

Friday’s regional exercise was the fifth since last September, with each one getting more advanced than the previous. The latest included three U.S. Aegis-class ships, one Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Aegis-class ship and early warning aircraft, U.S. 7th Fleet and JMSDF command staff, and personnel from multiple branches of both countries’ armed forces.

“We started very small. We wanted to develop a building block process,” said Weatherford. “This is new to them, and it is new to us. We’re doing this to further both of our proficiency and experience.”

The next regional BMD exercise is scheduled to take place during November’s ANNUALEX, the major annual exercise between the United States and Japan.

“This is all part of the 1000 Ship Navy philosophy,” said Weatherford, referring to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen’s plan for creating a loosely-aligned naval force throughout the world. “These exercises have enabled the U.S. and Japanese to strengthen the ability to bilaterally defend Japan.”
http://www.c7f.navy.mil/news/2007/July/15.htm

07-10-2007, 07:41 AM	#1
gc Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,244	U.S., Japan collaborate on missile defense exercise 1 min!! That's real fast. U.S., Japan collaborate on missile defense exercise Posted: 07/09/2007 How can the Prime Minister of Japan find out the exact path of a hostile missile less than one minute after launch? “It takes a bilateral effort between the U.S. and Japan,” said Lt. Cmdr. Michael Weatherford, U.S. 7th Fleet’s Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Operations Officer. The two countries held a regional BMD exercise July 6 and accomplished what they consider a major feat – they calculated and shared the information needed to track a hostile missile from its launch along its intended path, and passed that information to various assets. “The timeline for us to determine the path missiles travel in is very short,” said Weatherford. “You need to be able to share information quickly so the leaders can make decisions in a timely manner. This time, we actually passed the tracking information all the way to Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe’s office.” According to Weatherford, the timeframe for that information transfer took about one minute. Friday’s regional exercise was the fifth since last September, with each one getting more advanced than the previous. The latest included three U.S. Aegis-class ships, one Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) Aegis-class ship and early warning aircraft, U.S. 7th Fleet and JMSDF command staff, and personnel from multiple branches of both countries’ armed forces. “We started very small. We wanted to develop a building block process,” said Weatherford. “This is new to them, and it is new to us. We’re doing this to further both of our proficiency and experience.” The next regional BMD exercise is scheduled to take place during November’s ANNUALEX, the major annual exercise between the United States and Japan. “This is all part of the 1000 Ship Navy philosophy,” said Weatherford, referring to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen’s plan for creating a loosely-aligned naval force throughout the world. “These exercises have enabled the U.S. and Japanese to strengthen the ability to bilaterally defend Japan.” http://www.c7f.navy.mil/news/2007/July/15.htm Attached Thumbnails