National Missile Defense

A lecture by Larry Chasteen, PhD, IEEE Distinguished Lecturers Program

The Bush Administration made major changes to the National Missile Defense (NMD) system that had been developed earlier by the Clinton Administration and established a limited system in Alaska to counter threats from North Korea. But even with the new emphasis on anti-terrorism and closer relations with Russia, NMD was still a very controversial topic as seen with the U.S. proposal to install parts of the Missile Defense System in Europe for protection against Iran. The European proposal had negative impacts on the US/Russia relations during the later years of the Bush Administration. The Obama administration is trying to mend relations with Russia by taking a new look at the system proposed for Europe.

The NMD program will continue to be a key technical, political, and legislative issue facing the U.S. and the rest of the world.  The Bush Administration focused more on testing and developing new equipment for the NMD system and also investigated a wider variety of sensors (such as space-based and sea-based systems) to detect and track incoming missiles. The upgrade to the existing Early Warning Radars was one of the few features that did not change from the Clinton plan. The Obama Administration is still finalizing its approach to NMD.

Speaker Biography:  This talk will provide background information on the political issues facing NMD. It will also provide technical information on some of the major systems including upgrades to the Early Warning Radars. The talk will also provide system engineering details on the proposed elements of the system that could be installed in Europe.

Dr. Larry Chasteen was the 1998 Dallas IEEE Section Chair and received the IEEE 3rd Millennium Medal for his service to the IEEE. He was also a 2000 IEEE Congressional Fellow and worked on the National Missile Defense Program for Congress.  He had previously worked 25 years in the defense industry for Texas Instruments and Raytheon specializing in radar and smart weapons. He also served in the Viet Nam War as a USAF B-52 pilot and retired from the USAF Reserves in 2000 with the rank of Colonel.  He now teaches Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Stephen F. Austin State University and at ESC Lille in France. His research concerns evolving technical communities and their clustering. He was also a Fulbright Professor to Germany in 2006 and a science advisor at the State Department in 2007.

Presented for the IEEE Huntsville Section, JCAM Chapter, and AESS Chapter at the Adtran East Tower’s Mark C. Smith Conference Center on 901 Explorer Blvd, Huntsville, AL, on March 11, 2010 at 6-9pm (Dinner starts at 6:30pm).

Dinner is free for IEEE members and $10 at the door for non-members.

Please RSVP to Rick Tuggle, no later than Tuesday, March 9th.