Diverse Communications Project at Vandenberg Air Force Base
Abstract
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is responsible for developing, testing, and deploying the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS). The BMDS is designed to intercept threat missiles during all phases of their flight: boost, midcourse, and terminal. Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) is an element of the midcourse defense that employs the Ground-Based Interceptors (GBIs) to intercept and destroy long-range missiles during the ballistic (midcourse) phase of their flight before their reentry into the Earth s atmosphere. In December 2002, the President directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to field a set of initial missile defense capabilities beginning in 2004. In support of this directive, MDA established operational Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) launch facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base (AFB), California, as part of an initial defense of the United States from a limited ballistic missile attack. This included installation of communications cables between support facilities and missile silos. These activities were previously analyzed in the GMD Initial Defensive Operations Capability at Vandenberg Air Force Base Environmental Assessment (IDOC EA), August 2003, which is hereby incorporated by reference. The MDA prepared this Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA), which is hereby incorporated by reference, to evaluate the potential environmental consequences of constructing and operating a diverse communications system to support the GMD at Vandenberg AFB. The SEA was prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and its implementing regulations, 42 United States Code 4321 et seq. and 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1500-1508, respectively; 32 CFR Part 651, Environmental Analysis of Army Actions; and 32 CFR 989, Environmental Impact Analysis Process. The purpose of the Proposed Action is to construct a diverse communications system at Vandenberg AFB to provide redundancy to the current GMD components.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 25, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA633776
Entities
People
- Clayton G. Lebow
- David Hasley
- Heather L. Moine
- Joseph B. Kriz
- Margaret Lindsey
- Michelle Bates
- Rickie D. Moon
- Ron Keglovits
- Whitt Walker
Organizations
- Missile Defense Agency