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capabilities that could have been made operational. Today we are asking Congress to approve funds to allow us to add to this test bed and make it operational in 2004 and 2005. In other words, instead of building a test bed that might be used operationally, we are fielding an initial defensive capability that could be used to test. Because of this relationship between initial defense capability and testing, we are asking that all the funding associated with both efforts be under the defensewide RDT&E appropriation.

TESTING STRATEGY

With respect to the issue of operational testing before a deployment, I would argue that what we are faced with today is a timing issue. This is unique, unprecedented technology in its early stages of maturity. We have to strike a balance between our desire for our perfection in missile defenses that we might deploy and our desire to have as soon as possible some defensive capability where none exists today. Can we continue to test the elements and components of a system we might also use to defend ourselves? I believe we can. And why do I believe we can do that? Because we have shown that the nuts and bolts of this missile defense capability we are planning to field in this block 4 time frame can work.

Over the past two years, we have conducted a total of 55 flight tests and 60 grounds tests. Seventeen of these tests were flight intercept tests. Each test builds our confidence. We know that hitto-kill works. We have a significant degree of repeatability represented in the tests that we have conducted to date, and we are well along in our goal of demonstrating reliability. Regardless of the names we apply to our testing, we must have assets and infrastructure in the field if we are going to begin to test under operationally realistic conditions. We do not have the weapons and sensors fielded at operationally useful sites and locations today and we cannot really do a good job of hooking this all up until we put it in the places that we need it to make sure it works.

This program and this budget do just that. Our intentions are to test the system, the complete system, as soon as possible. Over the next, two years, we are planning another 68 flight tests and 58 ground tests and about the same number of intercept tests as before. We have done the testing to have the confidence to proceed and we want to continue to strike the right balance in our test program. The elements of the test bed will also have some inherent defense capability. We can do operational testing while having the system on alert, in my opinion, and we should take advantage of that.

COST CONTROL

I believe, Mr. Chairman, that we are ready to take the next step in missile defense for another reason. Our test bed evolutionary approach to initial defensive capability is rational from a cost standpoint as well. We do not now have adequate understanding to submit a budget for many tens of billions of dollars for a huge, longterm, fixed architecture, and I don't believe we need to submit such a budget to achieve our initial goals. We are able, however, to purchase and field the capabilities in small numbers. This approach will allow us to control costs and with an increase of $1.5 billion

over, two years, we could provide this country with a modest missile defense capability where none exists today.

SUMMARY

Mr. Chairman, America's Missile Defense Program is on track today. The Missile Defense Agency is doing what we told the Congress we would do and your support has been important to that progress that we have made to date. We have tried to listen to the concerns that people have had and sought to address them in a responsible manner. Our tests and our analysis give us confidence that we can take the first steps toward the initial defensive operations while we continue to prove our technologies and demonstrate missile defense combat utility through realistic testing. I really believe there is a tremendous benefit to putting this unprecedented technology into the field in manageable increments to provide some defense, to learn more about it, gain experience with it and test it to the point where the operational users are comfortable with it.

I would like to thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to testify today and I think I will just stop there and go into the questions as you might direct.

[The statement of General Kadish follows:]

Unclassified Statement of

Lieutenant General Ronald T. Kadish, USAF

Director, Missile Defense Agency

Before the

House Appropriations Committee

Defense Subcommittee

Closed Hearing

Thursday, May 1, 2003

Embargoed Until Released by the
Appropriations Defense Subcommittee

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Lieutenant General Ronald T. Kadish is the director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington, DC. The MDA is Presidentially-chartered and mandated by Congress to acquire highly effective ballistic missile defense systems for forward-deployed and expeditionary elements of the U.S. Armed Forces. Additionally, MDA will develop options, and if directed, acquire systems for ballistic missile defense of the United States. As director, General Kadish is the Acquisition Executive for all Ballistic Missile Defense systems and programs.

The general entered the Air Force in 1970 after graduating from the Reserve Officer Training Corps program at St. Joseph's University. He was the program director for the F-15, F-16 and C-17 System Program offices, as well as director for manufacturing and quality assurance for the B-1B System Program Office. He is a senior pilot with more than 2,500 flying hours, primarily in the C-130. Before assuming his current position, he was commander, Electronic Systems Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Hanscom Air Force Base, MA. He was responsible for the Air Force's Center of Excellence for command and control systems, handling more than $3 billion in programs annually.

EDUCATION:

1970 Bachelor of science degree in chemistry, St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia

1975 Master's degree in business administration, University of Utah

1975 Squadron Officer School, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL.

1981 Distinguished graduate, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL. 1988 Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC

1990 Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, VA.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. June 1970 - June 1971, student, undergraduate pilot training, Vance Air Force Base, OK

2. June 1971 - June 1974, C-130E pilot and instructor pilot, 62nd Tactical Airlift Squadron, Little Rock Air Force Base, AR

3. June 1974 - June 1976, wing operations staff officer, 314th Tactical Airlift Wing, Little Rock Air Force Base, AR

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Kadish Biography, page 2

4. June 1976 - June 1977, Air Force Institute of Technology's Education-with-Industry, Vought Corp., Dallas

5. July 1977 - August 1980, subsystem co-production officer, F-16 System Program Office, Aeronautica Systems Division, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH

6. August 1980 - June 1981, student, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL 7. June 1981 - March 1982, C-130E instructor pilot, 37th Tactical Airlift Squadron, Rhein-Main Air Base, West Germany

8. April 1982 - January 1983, wing and base chief, aircrew standardization and evaluation division, 435th Tactical Airlift Wing, Rhein-Main Air Base, West Germany

9. January 1983 - July 1984, operations officer, 37th Tactical Airlift Squadron, Rhein-Main Air Base, West Germany

10. July 1984 - September 1985, director for manufacturing and quality assurance, B-IB System Program Office, aeronautical systems division, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH

11. September 1985 - July 1987, executive to the commander, Aeronautical Systems Division, WrightPatterson Air Force Base, OH

12. July 1987 - June 1988, Student, Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, DC

13. June 1988 - July 1989, chief, program integration division, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, DC

14. July 1989 - May 1990, military assistant to the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Washington, DC.

15. May 1990 - September 1990, student, Defense Systems Management College, Fort Belvoir, VA 16. September 1990 - August 1992, F-15 program director, Aeronautical Systems Center, WrightPatterson Air Force Base, OH

17. August 1992 - September 1993, F-16 program director, Aeronautical Systems Center, WrightPatterson Air Force Base, OH

18. October 1993 - August 1996, program director for the C-17 System Program Office, Aeronautical Systems Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH

19. August 1996 – June 1999, commander, Electronic Systems Center, Hanscom Air Force Base, MA 20. June 1999 - present, director, Missile Defense Agency (MDA), Office of the Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Washington, DC

FLIGHT INFORMATION:

Rating: Senior pilot

Flight hours: More than 2,500

Aircraft flown: C-130, T-37, T-38, F-16, F-15, C-17

MAJOR AWARDS AND DECORATIONS:

Defense Distinguished Service Medal

Legion of Merit

Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters

Air Medal

Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award

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