[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 67 (Tuesday, May 20, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S4765]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  TRIBUTE MARKING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF U.S. ARMY SPACE AND MISSILE 
                                DEFENSE

 Mr. SESSIONS. Mr. President, it is with great pleasure that I 
rise today to recognize the celebration of the 40th anniversary of U.S. 
Army Space and Missile Defense.
  During this week, May 19-22, 1997, a number of special events will be 
taking place in Huntsville, AL, to celebrate this important 
anniversary. I wish to express my congratulations to the Army community 
in Huntsville for their splendid record of achievement in space and 
missile defense, and to ask my colleagues to join me saluting them for 
what this has meant to our Nation's security.
  The U.S. Army led the nation into space and ballistic missile defense 
[BMD] in 1957 with the authorization to proceed with the launch of an 
artificial satellite and the start of development of the Nike Zeus BMD 
system. The Army Ballistic Missile Agency successfully launched the 
free world's first artificial satellite in 1958, only 89 days after 
receiving the go-ahead, restoring America's leadership in space 
exploration following the Soviet Sputnik launch 3 months earlier.
  The Huntsville BMD team performed the first demonstration of a 
successful intercept of an ICBM class ballistic missile in 1962, 
deployed the first and only BMD system in the United States, conducted 
the first nonnuclear intercept of an ICBM in 1984, and carried out the 
first and the largest number of intercepts of tactical ballistic 
missiles, including the spectacular performance of the Patriot system 
against Scud rockets during Desert Storm.
  The U.S. Army role in space has continued to provide significant 
contributions to battlefield communications, precise detection, 
tracking of threatening missiles, and a host of space-based 
capabilities tailored for the war-fighter on the ground.
  The Huntsville team has made significant contributions to BMD 
technology, including development of nuclear and nonnuclear 
interceptors and kill vehicles; advanced BMD radar and optical sensors; 
the first BMD computer, associated software and a long progression of 
innovations in BMD computational capabilities; and lastly, a wide range 
of BMD phenomenology, components and techniques.
  In view of their long record of outstanding achievements, the future 
of military space and BMD lies to a large extent in the hands of the 
men and women who work in the Army organizations in Huntsville, 
together with their industry team mates.
  Mr. President, I salute Huntsville and the hard-working men and women 
of that great community. Most importantly, I wish to extend a warm and 
hearty congratulations to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense team 
for a job well done, and best wishes for its continued success now and 
during the next 40 years.

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