Early results of a mid-December Ballistic Missile Defense System operational assessment -- which still must be validated by the Pentagon's top weapons tester -- indicate the set of capabilities the Defense Department plans to soon deploy as part of the third and last increment of the European Phased Adaptive Approach "performed as designed," according to a DOD spokeswoman. On Dec. 11, Flight Test Integrated-03 (FTI-01) featured the intercept of an intermediate-range ballistic missile target by an SM-3 Block IIA guided...
