[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 221 (Tuesday, November 17, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63915-63916]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-30627]
=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Ballistic Missile Defense Organization; Preparation of the
National Missile Defense Deployment Environmental Impact Statement
AGENCY: Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, DOD.
ACTION: Notice of intent.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This notifies the public that the Ballistic Missile Defense
Organization (BMDO) intends to prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) for a potential National Missile Defense (NMD)
deployment, should the U.S. Government make such a decision. In 1996,
at the direction of the Secretary of Defense, NMD was designated a
Major Defense Acquisition Program. Concurrently, BMDO was tasked with
developing an NMD system that could be deployed within three years.
This three-year development period is to culminate in the year 2000. In
the year 2000, a Department of Defense (DoD) Deployment Readiness
Review will be held to review the technical readiness of NMD elements.
Thereafter, the United States government will determine whether the
threat, developed capability, and other pertinent factors justify
deploying an operational NMD system by the year 2003. BMDO is preparing
an EIS to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of deployment of
an NMD system.
Because the three-year development period is combined with an
additional three-year deployment option, the total effort is referred
to as the NMD ``3+3'' program. Should the deployment option not be
exercised in the year 2000, improvements in NMD system element
technology would continue, while an ability to deploy a system within
three years of a decision would be maintained.
The EIS is intended to support BMDO's planning for a potential
deployment of an NMD system. The decision to be made is whether to
deploy such a system. This decision will be based on an analysis of the
potential limited strategic ballistic missile threat to the United
States from a rogue nation, technical readiness of the NMD system for
deployment, and other factors including potential environmental
impacts. If the decision is to deploy, then sites would be selected
from the range of locations studied in the EIS. The EIS will provide
the U.S. Government with the information necessary to properly account
for the environmental impacts of this decision.
The NMD system would be a fixed, land-based, non-nuclear, hit-to-
kill missile defense system with land and space-based sensor support
capable of responding to a limited strategic ballistic missile threat
to the United States by a rogue nation. The NMD system would consist of
five elements: Ground-based Interceptors (GBIs); Battle Management
Command, Control, and Communications, which includes the Battle
Management Command and Control (BMC2), communication lines, and the In-
Flight Interceptor Communications System (IFICS) as subelements; X-Band
Radar (XBR); Upgraded Early Warning Radar (UEWR); and Defense Support
Program (DSP) satellites/Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS)
satellites. All elements of the NMD system would work together to
protect the 50 United States against a limited strategic ballistic
missile attack by a rogue nation.
Proposed Action and Alternatives
The alternatives to be considered in this EIS are the No-Action
Alternative and the Proposed Action. A No-Action Alternative would be a
DoD recommendation not to deploy an NMD
[[Page 63916]]
system but to continue NMD system development to improve NMD system
capabilities. With the Proposed Action Alternative, NMD elements and
element locations would be selected from the range of locations studied
in the EIS. The potential NMD element deployment locations would made
maximum use of existing DoD land. The following paragraphs detail
potential regions and locations that the U.S. Government would consider
as possible sites for each element.
Under the current Proposed Action an initial GBI missile field of
20 missiles could be located at one of the following locations: Clear
Air Station (AS), Alaska; Eielson AFB, Alaska; Fort Greely, Alaska;
Yukon Maneuver Area (Fort Wainwright), Alaska; Grand Forks Air Force
Base (AFB), North Dakota; or Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex
(SRMSC) Missile Site Radar Site, North Dakota (the SRMSC is centered
around the town of Langdon). Wherever the GBIs may be deployed, they
would not be fired from their deployment site except in the Nation's
defense.
A BMC2 site could be located at one of the following locations:
Clear AS, Alaska; Eielson AFB, Alaska; Fort Greely, Alaska; Yukon
Maneuver Area (Fort Wainwright), Alaska; Cavalier AS, North Dakota;
Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota; or SRMSC Missile Site Radar Site, North
Dakota. Also, additional BMC2 facilities would be retrofitted into the
existing United States Space Command communication and control
facilities at Colorado Springs and other DoD command centers in the
United States.
Approximately 14 IFICS could be located at geographically separated
locations in the general vicinity of other NMD elements and in the New
England states. Identification of potential locations for IFICS is
still in progress and will be based on operational requirements. When
possible, the IFICS would be located on or near existing DOD
installations. Locations tentatively identified to date include: Clear
AS, Alaska; Eareckson AS (Shemya Island), Alaska; Eielson AFB, Alaska;
Fort Greely, Alaska; Yukon Maneuver Area (Fort Wainwright), Alaska;
Grand Forks AFB, North Dakota; Minot AFB, North Dakota, Missile Alert
Facility ECHO (near the town of Hampden), North Dakota; SRMSC Missile
Site Radar Site, North Dakota; and the Western Aleutians. Studies for
potential locations for IFICS sites are still in their early stages. As
the studies progress the North Dakota and Alaska locations listed above
may be refined and potential locations identified in the New England
states. This updated information will be announced in the Federal
Register and additional scoping will be conducted to obtain public
input regarding the potential environmental effects of deploying an
IFICS at those locations.
One XBR would be deployed and the following locations are under
consideration: Eareckson AS (Shemya Island), Alaska; Cavalier AS, North
Dakota; SRMSC Missile Site Radar Site, North Dakota; SRMSC Remote
Sprint Launch Site 1, North Dakota; SRMSC Remote Sprint Launch Site 2,
North Dakota; and SRMSC Remote Sprint Launch Site 4, North Dakota.
Any deployment may require elements of the system to utilize
existing fiber-optic lines, power lines, and other utilities. Some
existing lines used to support the deployed system may require
modifications. Deployment of elements to some locations may require the
acquisition of new rights-of-way and installation of new utility and
fiber optic cable. Potential new fiber optic cable locations include
North Dakota and Alaska and an oceanic fiber optic cable along the
Aleutian Islands from Seward or Whittier, Alaska, to Eareckson AS
(Shemya Island), Alaska.
Scoping Process
This EIS will assess environmental issues associated with
deployment alternatives. Scoping will be conducted to identify
environmental concerns and issues to be addressed in the EIS. Public
scoping meetings will be held as part of the process. The schedule for
the scoping meetings is as follows: (1) 1 December from 5-8 p.m. at the
Cavalier County Courthouse Meeting Room, 901 3rd Street, Langdon, North
Dakota; (2) 2 December from 5-8 p.m. at the Grand Forks Civic
Auditorium, 615 1st Avenue, North, Grand Forks, North Dakota; (3) 7
December from 5-8 p.m. at the Carlson Community Activity Center, 2010
2nd Avenue, Fairbanks, Alaska; (4) 8 December from 5-8 p.m. at Anderson
School, Main Street, Anderson, Alaska; (5) 9 December from 5-8 p.m. at
the Delta Junction Community Center, 2288 Deborah Street, Delta
Junction, Alaska; (6) 10 December from 5-8 p.m. at Loussac Library,
3600 Denali Street, Anchorage, Alaska; and (7) 16 December from 3-8
p.m. at the Days Inn, 2000 Jefferson Davis Highway, Arlington,
Virginia.
Public input and comments are solicited concerning the deployment
alternatives and environmental issues related to the proposed NMD
deployment program. To ensure the program office will have sufficient
time to fully consider public input on issues, written comments should
be mailed to ensure receipt no later than January 15, 1999.
Comments concerning the EIS should be addressed to: SMDC-EN-V
(Julia Hudson), U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, 106 Wynn
Drive, Huntsville, AL 35805, telephone (256) 955-4822.
Dated: November 10, 1998.
L.M. Byrum,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 98-30627 Filed 11-16-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5000-04-M