In addition to disclosing that Teheran has experimented with nuclear bomb fuse, the Americans have announced: we will simulate an Iranian missile offensive. The cost of the exercise $150 million
Eli Leon and the news agencies, Israel Today, 14 December 2009
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The USA will simulate an Iranian offensive, announced Lieutenant General Patrick J. O'Reilly, Director of the US Missile Defense Agency. Next month, the USA will hold a pilot of its defense systems against Iranian and north Korean missiles.
The general, who spoke in an aerial defense conference in Washington pointed out that originally, the pilot was supposed to have simulated an offensive by North Korea only. "This is the first time we are preparing for a different scenario," said the general, adding, "The next pilot will simulate frontal shooting, like the one used when defending against Iranian shooting on the USA."
The American missile pilot, whose cost is estimated at $150 million, will include the launching of an interception missile from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on a simulated enemy missile which will be launched from the Marshall Islands in the Pacific Ocean.
O'Reilly said the experiment is meant to destroy the "enemy" missile in the northern-central area of the Pacific Ocean. "Defending against missiles launched at us frontally makes the challenges even more difficult," explained O'Reilly.
O'reilly's statements follow on the report in the British Times that in 2007, Iran began experimenting with uranium deutride, which is used as the fuse of nuclear bombs.
However, the strategic change in the US anti-missile defense plan was made already three months ago, when US President Barack Obama instructed focusing the efforts on handling short-range and medium-range Iranian missiles. At the time, the President pointed out that the Iranian development plans for long range missiles is progressing slowly while the development plan of medium range missiles is progressing very fast.
The change of the American policy allowed for collaboration between the USA and Russia in preparing for defensive against an Iranian attack. It was made possible since Obama has overridden President Bush's decision regarding the placement of anti-missile systems in Poland and radar system in the Czech Republic.
"We offered the Russians a range of ideas, from data exchange to joint experiments," explained O'Reilly, adding that the Russians have shown interest in the topic.
