by Anne Galloway September 12, 2013 vtdigger.org Camp Ethan Allen in Jericho has been identified by the Department of Defense as one of five potential sites on the East Coast for mid-range missiles in the nation’s midcourse interceptor program. The missiles are designed to intercept incoming enemy missiles carrying warheads.
Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont, told the press about the Pentagon’s plans after the Department of Defense’s Missile Defense Agency made the announcement to the Senate’s Defense Appropriations Subcommittee (the Pentagon’s budget committee).
Leahy is highly critical of the program and opposes the basing of the missiles in Vermont.
A ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) interceptor in launch silo. Missile Defense Agency photo
‘I’ve always felt that the multiple billions spent on missile defense are a monumental waste of money, on technologically challenged systems, and I am emphatically against putting one of these sites in Vermont,’ Leahy said.
The Pentagon must conduct a study ‘to validate or invalidate the requirement for an East Coast ballistic missile defense location,’ according to Leahy’s office. Part of that study, which will be conducted before the end of the year, would include an environmental impact statement.
Camp Ethan Allen, a Vermont National Guard base, may or may not be included in the list of locations that would be studied under an EIS, Leahy’s office says.
The other four sites identified as possible locations for the missile program include: Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center, Ohio; NAS Portsmouth SERE Training Area, Maine; Fort Custer CTC, Michigan; and Fort Drum, New York.
According to Leahy spokesman David Carle, no decision has been made to deploy more interceptor sites in the United States.
‘Based on the fiscal 2013 defense authorizing law, the Pentagon is required to conduct a study to validate or invalidate the requirement for an East Coast ballistic missile defense location, and part of that study, which will be completed before the end of this year, will be to identify the possible locations for consideration under an Environmental Impact Study if the basic requirement for a site is validated. By virtue of this announcement, Camp Ethan Allen may, or may not, be included in that list of locations for further study under an EIS,’ Carle wrote in an email.
Representative Peter Welch, D-Vermont, ridiculed the idea: ‘This is absurd. It’s the wrong location for a bad idea and dead on arrival,’ he said in a statement.
Senator Bernie Sanders responded: ‘My first impression is that this is a very bad idea and, for a wide variety of reasons, I do not believe that it will ever happen.’
Governor Peter Shumlin said in a statement: ‘Vermonters are well-served by our federal delegation’s thoughtful involvement and deep experience in these issues, and I agree with Senator Leahy, Senator Sanders, and Congressman Welch.’
[Text of letter to Senator Leahy, below:]
SEP. 12, 2013
Department of Defense
Missile Defense Agency
5700 18th Street
Fort Belvoir, Virginia 22060-5573
The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senator Leahy:
Pursuant to section 227 of the Fiscal Year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act (FY 13 NDAA), the Department of Defense is conducting a study of possible additional locations to determine their suitability for a potential future interceptor deployment site. The Camp Ethan Allen Training Site in Vermont is being considered as one of five candidate sites. Additional sites include: Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center, Ohio; NAS Portsmouth SERE Training Area, Maine; Fort Custer CTC, Michigan; and Fort Drum, New York.
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) will contact the installation commands as part of a data gathering process associated with the siting study assessing potential candidate interceptor sites. Once the data gathering phase is complete, the sites will be reassessed to develop a list of the sites suitable for further consideration. On-site visits will be part of the reassessment.
There has been no decision to deploy an additional interceptor site in the United States. The Department is conducting this siting study and pursuing the follow-on Environmental Impact Statement to meet the requirements mandated by section 227 of the FY13 NDAA (Public Law 112-239).
The Department of Defense is committed to open communication with Congress throughout this process. We will ensure you are kept aware as the process moves forward and are available to provide a more detailed briefing at your request. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Kimo Hollingsworth, MDA Director of Legislative Affairs, at 571 -231-8105.
Very Respectfully,
J.D. SYRING
Vice Admiral, USN
Director