The Department of Defense will conduct a study of space-based ballistic missile defense starting in Fiscal 2009 based on a $5 million earmark included in the defense appropriations bill that President Bush signed into law Sept. 30. The Washington Times reported yesterday that the tucked-away appropriation for this research represents the first time in three years that money made it into the final version of the defense spending bill after two successive years when Pentagon requests for $10 million were squelched. The topic of space-based BMD is always a controversial topic, even on Capitol Hill, with some circles accusing the US military of escalating the weaponization of space by promoting it. Conversely supporters contend that space-based defenses ultimately make the most sense for countering longer range missile threats.
Members of the House Armed Services Committee say the AIM-260 Joint Advanced Tactical Missile program has been set back three months due to the ongoing government shutdown. The comment is noteworthy because the JATM's status has been kept tightly under wraps.
