Libya Retains Scud Missiles

WASHINGTON, March 23, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Riki Ellison, Chairman and Founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA), www.missiledefenseadvocacy.org, has analyzed the ballistic missile threat in Libya and has offered his analysis in terms of missile defense needs in regards to the current situation in Libya. Ellison is one of the top lay experts in the field of missile defense in the country. His comments are outlined below:

As an international coalition moves forward with the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1973 to restrict air space over Libya, it is of concern that the government of Libya retains over 100 Scud-B missiles with a 300 KM range and rudimentary chemical and biological weapons capability that could be used at Muammar Gaddafi's discretion.

Scud-B missiles are not extremely accurate but are effective against high density population centers and to a lesser extent opposing military operations. Iraq successfully launched Scud missiles against U.S. command centers, military staging areas and major population centers during the Gulf War in 1991.

To deter and defend against the potential use of Libyan Scud-B missiles, some members of the international coalition, including France, Qatar and the United States, have regional and tactical missile defense platforms at their disposal if required. The United States has two such systems in its Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) ships and its mobile land-based Patriot Air and Missile Defense System (PAC-3) batteries; both have a tested and proven capability to defend against Scud missiles. U.S. Aegis BMD ships are deployed in the Mediterranean Sea and U.S. Patriot batteries are nearby in Poland and Germany. Qatar has the Patriot missile defense system and France has the Sol-Air Moyenne Portee Terrestre (SAMP/T) Air Defense system, a similar system to the U.S. Patriot.

In this current situation, missile defense is an international force for the safety, defense and protection of innocent civilians and the international coalition that is implementing U.N. Resolution 1973.

SOURCE Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance