U.S. Missile Intercept a Success. Now What?

Defense officials are taking a victory lap after successfully shooting down a mock ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean this week. It was the first live-fire intercept test of an intercontinental ballistic missile in history, a critical U.S. achievement coming at a critical time.

"It was phenomenal, historic, making our planet, our country safe from North Korea. It's the first time ever we shot down an ICBM missile," Riki Ellison, founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, said.

Ellison started his organization to support the United States' defense program and make it safer for all Americans. He was invited to watch the launch in person.

Ellison says, "They can't threaten us. They cannot invest enough money. They cannot create the technology to hold the United States hostage with a nuclear weapon on a ballistic missile. This is a tremendous achievement for just the deterrent ability it has."

Ellison calls it a win-win for the American public because it gives the President Donald Trump and his commanders more options to challenge North Korea.  

As the mock warhead rose from across the Pacific Ocean, the interceptor roared into space from California's Vandenberg airbase, more than 4,000 miles away.  Within an hour the five-foot-long interceptor hit its mark.
       
It's described as the equivalent of hitting one speeding bullet with another.

"There is a very difficult calculation. Look at its arc and figure out where intercept is going to occur somewhere deep in outer space. That is truly rocket science in every sense of the word," Col. Steve Ganyard, former Secretary of State, said.

Now both Pentagon and missile defense experts say the real work continues, picking through the data to ensure the same outcome each time.

"We will continue to get better, learn from it," Ellison vowed. "We are going to add more capability, create better software, better hardware. But we had some big firsts this time. We had first avionic package and new C-2 booster, which is the three stages that put the kill vehicle in the right spot."

Ellison says the U.S. government plans to install eight new rockets at Vandenberg before the end of the year.