The U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), which was planning to pick a “preferred” missile defense site in the eastern United States by year’s end, has delayed its decision until “next year,” saying it needs more time to finish its review.
The agency has been conducting an environmental impact study (EIS) of the three military installations under consideration in Michigan, New York and Ohio.
Photo: Missile Defense Agency
“MDA requires additional time to complete the study and coordinate” with U.S. Northern Command, MDA spokeswoman Leah Garton said Dec. 12. “The final EIS and proposed alternative will be released once we complete a thorough review.”
If funded and built, the eastern site would be part of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system and would be aimed at improving protection against long-range ballistic missiles fired from Iran. GMD already has interceptor sites in Alaska and California.
MDA officials have emphasized that a decision to build an eastern site has not been made and that no funding has been made available.