On July 25, the House Committee on Appropriations cut the overall FY 2008 funding request for missile defense programs by $298 million, substantially less than the nearly $765 million in cuts approved by the House in the Defense authorization bill (H.R. 1585) in May.  The appropriators provided a total $8.5 billion budget for missile defense (not including related radar systems).

The full appropriations committee cleared the $459.6 billion Defense spending bill (H.R. 3222) by voice vote on July 25 and the measure is expected to be considered on the floor in the coming days. Below is a summary of some of the key programs in missile defense and a comparison to related House and Senate Defense authorization action.

Key Programs

European Site

The committee cut $139 million for "missile field construction and the associated equipment" (meaning the interceptor site in Poland) from the $310 million request for the European ground-based missile defense site, registering "the uncertainty surrounding the program." Funding for the radar based in the Czech Republic was approved, as well as for the interceptors themselves, which the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) claims can also be used at Fort Greely, Alaska if not in Europe. These new two-stage interceptors are untested versions of the current three-stage interceptors, which raise doubts about the wisdom of their procurement.

The FY 2008 House Defense authorization bill (HR 1585) cut funding for the European site by $160 million, imposing reductions in interceptor site funding but allowing purchase of the interceptors themselves. Senate Defense authorizers made more modest cuts in S. 567, reducing funding for the program by $85 million. The Senate bill, however, put conditions on the site's construction pending final agreement from the host countries and successful testing of the proposed interceptors, which may be a high hurdle.

The first flight test for the two-stage interceptor is scheduled for 2010. Essentially, the MDA claims that a two-stage version is needed because the three-stage interceptor's minimum flight range is too long to intercept missiles from Iran, the country cited as the primary missile threat to Europe and the United States. To develop the two-stage version, the MDA would modify software and attach a mounting mechanism for the kill vehicle to the second stage rather than the third stage. As the Senate authorizers note in their report (S.Rpt.110-77), "It could be several years before it is known if the interceptor will work in an operationally effective manner."

As has been reported, the proposed site cannot protect southern Europe from an Iranian missile attack. Some have maintained that a better option would use the Aegis Sea-based missile defense system (see below) to defend all of Europe from missile attack, instead of deploying the ground-based system. The House Defense authorization report (H.Rpt. 110-146) requires a report from the Secretaries of Defense and State on options for defending Europe including Aegis, as well as how the United States will work with NATO.

The estimate for the European site's total cost is $4 billion, but appropriators indicate this estimate omits personnel, housing and other infrastructure costs. 

Space Test Bed

The appropriations committee eliminated $10 million for the Space Test Bed, consistent with House and Senate authorization bills. The test bed would have begun the process of placing "kill vehicles," or space-based interceptors, in orbit, which would be the first permanent deployment of weapons in space.

KEI and ABL

The Kinetic Energy Interceptor (KEI) and Airborne Laser (ABL) programs have drawn criticism for delays and program challenges, yet the House appropriations committee boosted spending for the KEI by $145.3 million to support work on a mobile version of the interceptor and praised the ABL program for making "technical progress" within schedule and budget, while cutting its budget by a relatively modest $51 million. Defense authorizers in the House cut the ABL by $250 million and the KEI by $50 million, while S. 567 reduced the ABL by $200 million and fully funded the KEI. The ABL has a longer and more troubled track record than the KEI. Originally scheduled to have its first "shoot down" of a missile in 2002, that test is currently scheduled for 2009 but further delays seem likely.

Multiple Kill Vehicle (MKV)

In the House Defense appropriations bill, the MKV receives $3.1 million more than the budget request, to reach a total of $274.2 million in FY 2008. Report language calls on MDA to "to accelerate development and delivery of the MKV capability." The House Defense authorization bill had cut the program by $41 million, while the Senate version fully funded the MKV. In an attempt to deal with the threat posed by countermeasures like balloon decoys, this program is intended to develop smaller kill vehicles (KVs) so one interceptor can carry multiple KVs. However, because decoys can be simpler, cheaper and smaller at launch than even miniaturized KVs, this approach does not solve the countermeasure problem since there can still be many more decoys than KVs. 

Aegis

The Sea-based component of the program receives a $57 million hike from the President's budget request, including increases for: continuation of the ballistic signal processor/open architecture ($22 million), upgrades to two Aegis destroyers ($20 million), and the Asymmetric Defense Initiative ($15 million).  MDA is also directed to conduct operationally realistic tests using sea based assets and develop a "recommended architecture and concept of operations for homeland asymmetric missile defense." While demonstrating some mock warhead intercept success, the Aegis system is limited by the same vulnerability to countermeasures as the ground-based midcourse system.

Non Missile Defense Agency Highlights

The Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS), designed to track missiles from space, is awarded $614.6 million under the report, $27.6 million more than requested. 

China and Space

In January 2007, China destroyed one of its own satellites by hitting it with a ground-launched homing interceptor. Preparations for the test, as well as earlier fly-by tests, were observed by the United States, but the demonstration took many observers by surprise. The reaction from Congress has focused primarily on increasing space situational awareness, the ability to know where objects are in space. The House appropriations report language explicitly states, "the Committee is strongly supportive of the ongoing efforts to improve space situational awareness, especially in light of the recently successful Chinese anti-satellite (ASAT) test." 

In that light, the bill increases funding for several programs, including the "Space Fence" that watches "potentially hostile satellites" and space debris, and $20 million for Operationally Responsive Space efforts associated with responsive launch, payload, and bus development. Of the $20 million, $6.1 million is tagged for an unknown classified program.