Congressional Research Service says that Congress has given only “a mixed reception” to the concept of deploying some long range ballistic missiles in a conventional mode. Even so, both the Air Force and the Navy, urged on by the Administration, have studied concepts and technologies for doing so. The Air Force budget request for 2006 contains funding for its efforts. The Pentagon sees conventional ballistic missiles as key to its new prompt global strike mission.
The Department of the Air Force is consolidating more than 50 programs supporting its efforts to create a vast battle network into a single $4.5 billion contract vehicle to streamline software and technology integration.
