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September 8, 2008
IWG Report 2007
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Vandenberg Air Force Base
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Vandenberg Air Force Base is located on the central coast of California, approximately 55 miles northwest of Santa Barbara. It is the third largest Air Force base in the nation, encompassing 98,000 acres, and for nearly half a century it has served as a launch and test site for medium- to long-range ballistic missiles, as well as government and commercial satellites. Vandenberg’s role will soon be expanded to include missile defense operations.
During the 1940s and 1950s, the base was known as Camp Cooke, an Army tank and artillery training center. In 1957, as the arms race against the Soviet Union began to heat up, the U.S. transferred the management of Camp Cooke from the Army to the Air Force, which began the construction of the infrastructure and launch pads for the nation’s first space and missile launch site. The following year, Camp Cooke was renamed Vandenberg Air Force Base in honor of the late General Hoyt S. Vandenberg, the second U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff.
In December 1958, Vandenberg AFB launched its first ballistic missile, the medium-range Thor (SM-75). Two months later, the first polar-orbiting satellite, Discoverer I, lifted off from Vandenberg using a Thor/Agena booster combination. In September 1959, the Atlas 12D intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) made its West Coast debut, and the following month was equipped with a nuclear warhead, making Vandenberg the first combat-ready U.S. launch site.
By June 1960, Vandenberg had flight-tested 45 ballistic, orbital, and probe launch-vehicle systems. In 1961, the Titan I (MGM-25a) was deployed, followed the next year by the Minuteman I (LGM-30A/B). On March 23, 1962, President John F. Kennedy visited Vandenberg to witness the launch of the Atlas 134D. Other notable launches over the years included the Peacekeeper (LGM-118, MX) in 1983, the Titan IV space booster in 1991, the Pegasus booster in 1995, and the Delta II commercial space booster in 1996.
At present, Vandenberg is operated by the Air Force Space Command’s 30th Space Wing, the unit responsible for all West Coast missile and space launches. Vandenberg’s location provides 35 miles of Pacific Ocean shoreline, over 98,000 acres of land, and restricted airspace for these launches and tests. The base is divided into two parts, North Base and South Base. In general, most ballistic missiles are launched from North Base, while most satellite launches take place on South Base.
Vandenberg is supported by approximately 30 instrumentation sites located along the Pacific Coast, including Point Arguello (part of the expanded Vandenberg complex), Pillar Point (near San Francisco), South Point and Kokee Park (Hawaii), Midway and Wake Islands, Canton Island, and Eniwetok and Bikini Atolls in the Marshall Islands, as well as additional instrumentation deployed on Navy vessels.
In addition to being a major launch site for ICBMs and satellites, Vandenberg AFB plays an essential role in the testing of anti-ballistic missile technology. Since it is the only military base within the continental U.S. from which ICBMs can be launched into the Pacific Ocean, Vandenberg serves as the launch site for target missiles aimed at the Reagan Test Site (RTS), approximately 4,800 miles away in the Marshall Islands’ Kwajalein Atoll. The RTS is the premiere U.S. anti-ballistic missile testing ground, and frequently tests its interceptor missiles against target ICBMs launched from Vandenberg.
In 2002, the Pentagon decided to expand Vandenberg’s missile defense role even further, to include anti-ballistic missile operations. It plans to deploy four ground-based interceptor missiles at Vandenberg by December 2005, to support the 16 interceptors located at Fort Greely, Alaska. Together, these 20 interceptor missiles will serve as the initial deployment of the larger Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, which will eventually protect all 50 states from long-range ballistic missile attack.
Sources
“30th Space Wing/Vandenberg Air Force Base Launch Site Safety Assessment,” Research Triangle Institute, Center for Aerospace Technology, February 2000.
Breen, Tom. “Missile Defense Agency: Countdown to Historic Deployment,” Armed Forces Journal, 1 April 2004.
GlobalSecurity.org.
Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Boeing Official: Future BMD Tests Will Be “Increasingly Challenging”
Scott Fancher, vice president and program director of Boeing’s ground-based midcourse defense program, said Tuesday at a press conference that future ground-based interceptor (GBI) tests will be made “increasingly challenging.” He referred to the successful test on September 1, when a GBI launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, shot down a target missile in mid-flight, as “the beginning of an ever more increasingly challenging test series” that will involve “very realistic flight conditions,” including the use of countermeasures. Fancher echoed the remarks of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, who said on August 27 that the anti-missile system would have to be fully tested with all its elements in place before it is declared ready. The next test of the ground-based system is planned for later this year and will be identical to the September 1 test, although tests in 2007 are expected to be more complex.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Vandenberg Air Force Base
GBI from Vandenberg Successfully Intercepts Target Missile
The Missile Defense Agency today successfully intercepted a target ballistic missile over the Pacific in the widest test in 18 months of the Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI) missile. The Patriot-As-A-Target missile was launched from Kodiak, Alaska, and followed a trajectory similar to the path a North Korean missile might follow in an attack on West Coast cities. It was successfully shot down by a GBI launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The test was designed to collect large amounts of data rather than shoot down the target, although it accomplished both goals, the target warhead being destroyed. The test also marked the first time that a ground-based interceptor missile was launched from Vandenberg.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Vandenberg Air Force Base
MDAA Calls for 10 More Interceptors for Vandeberg AFB
The Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) has called for the deployment of 10 additional ground-based interceptors at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, to protect the West Coast from a possible North Korean ballistic missile attack. The U.S. already has two ground-based interceptors at Vandenberg AFB, as well as nine at Fort Greely in Alaska. MDAA also advocated for the deployment of an Aegis-equipped cruiser armed with Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) interceptors in the waters off Hawaii, and the deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system at the Barking Sand Naval Base in Kauai, Hawaii. To defend against the missile threat from Iran, the alliance called for the development of a third interceptor site in Europe, and the deployment of Aegis-equipped cruisers in the Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, and Persian Gulf. The alliance added that the U.S. must continue to develop and invest in future missile defense assets, in particular systems capable of destroying missiles in their boost phase.
» More stories on: Policy
» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Vandenberg Air Force Base
Minuteman-3 Test Launch Successful
The U.S. Air Force successfully test launched an unarmed Minuteman-3 intercontinental ballistic missile from Vandenberg Air Force Base. The missile’s three warheads hit a water target near the Marshall Islands approximately 6,700 km from Vandenberg, and the test was said to be a complete success. Minuteman tests take place several times a year for routine testing.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile details: Minuteman I
» Missile system details for: Vandenberg Air Force Base
Missile Defense System Declared “Operational”
The U.S. ground-based interceptor missile defense system is now said to be operational, as North Korea prepares to test launch its Taep’o-dong 2 ballistic missile. The defensive system currently consists of 11 ground-based interceptor missiles, nine deployed at Fort Greely, Alaska, and two at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. In addition, two Navy Aegis warships are on patrol near North Korea and would be among the first sensors that could trigger the use of the ground-based interceptors. The ground-based interceptors appear to constitute the only defense against the North Korean missiles, which are capable of striking the continental U.S. If the Aegis ships in the Sea of Japan contain Standard Missile interceptors in addition to their radars and tracking sensors, this has not been publicly announced. It is not clear if the announcement is of permanent operational capability, or if it is rather keeping with previous announcements of limited and intermittent operational capability, on special alert given North Korea’s apparent missile fueling.
The GMD missile system was switched from test to operational mode within the past two weeks, according to various defense sources. The Washington Times cites a senior Bush administration official as stating that the White House is currently considering how to proceed if and when the Taep’o-dong 2 were to be launched. A decision to shoot down the missile would be made at the highest command levels, which includes the president, secretary of defense, and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has stated that a North Korean launch would be a serious matter and “would be taken with utmost seriousness and indeed a provocative act.”
» More stories on: Deployment, North Korea, Policy
» Missile details: Tien Ma 1
» Missile system details for: Fort Greely, Ground-Based Interceptor (GBI), Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Vandenberg Air Force Base
U.S. Tests Minuteman-3 from Vandenberg
The U.S. Air Force today successfully test-launched an Minuteman-3 ICBM from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, reports the AP. The missile’s three unarmed reentry vehicles traveled approximately 7,700 km (4,800 miles) in 30 minutes before hitting their pre-determined targets at the Kwajalein Missile Range in the Marshall Islands. According to Air Force officials, the launch’s main purpose was to demonstrate the operational effectiveness of the weapon system. The U.S. has about 500 Minuteman-3 missiles deployed in Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, and Nebraska. The recent Quadrennial Defense Review, however, called for a 10% reduction of the deployed Minuteman ICBMs, to 450.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile details: Minuteman I
» Missile system details for: Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS), Vandenberg Air Force Base
Silos Tested in Advance of Summer GMD Launches
Boeing recently completed silo modification tests for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system, clearing the way for a flight test this summer. The tests validated the lateral supports, which stabilize the interceptors inside the silos, as well as the silo closure mechanism, or clamshell doors. The tests were first conducted on a test silo in Huntsville, Alabama, and then verified at the Ronald W. Reagan Missile Defense Site at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The ground-based interceptors themselves were not included in the tests.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Missile Defense Site Dedicated to Ronald Reagan
The missile defense facilities at Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California were officially dedicated in honor of former President Ronald Reagan on Monday, April 10. Former First Lady Nancy Reagan was on hand at the dedication ceremony, as well as former California Governor Pete Wilson, Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska, and MDA Director Henry “Trey” Obering.
In 1983, President Reagan called for the development of the Strategic Defense Initiative, a system to protect against a limited long-range ballistic missile attack. In recent years, the former President’s vision has come closer to reality, with the installation of ground-based interceptors at Vandenberg and Fort Greely, Alaska, as well as the planned deployment of other missile defense assets.
Vandenberg Air Force Base is the third largest Air Force base in the nation, encompassing 98,000 acres, and for nearly half a century it has served as a launch and test site for medium- to long-range ballistic missiles, as well as government and commercial satellites.
» Northrop Grumman Congratulates Missile Defense Agency
» Missile system details for: Vandenberg Air Force Base
Minuteman-3 Tested from Vandenberg
An unarmed Minuteman-3 intercontinental ballistic missile was test-launched today from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The missile’s single, unarmed re-entry vehicle traveled approximately 8,200 km (5,100 miles), striking a pre-determined water target near Guam in the Northern Mariana Islands. The launch was part of a developmental test to demonstrate the weapon’s effectiveness at an extended range. The Minuteman-3 missile originated from the 564th Missile Squadron at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Montana.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile details: Minuteman I
» Missile system details for: Vandenberg Air Force Base
U.S. Tests Minuteman-3 From Vandenberg
The U.S. Air Force today test launched a Minuteman-3 intercontinental ballistic missile. The unarmed missile took off at 12:01 a.m. from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, and hit a target 4,800 miles away on the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The purpose of the test was to gather data on the weapon and determine whether the Mark-2 re-entry vehicle is effective on the Minuteman-3.
» More stories on: Testing - American
» Missile details: Minuteman I
» Missile system details for: Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site (RTS), Vandenberg Air Force Base
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