OMAHA, Neb. — Citing the resource-constrained U.S. Army budget, the general overseeing the Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command says he would prefer the U.S. Navy to assume oversight and execution of the mission to land-base SM-3 Block IB ballistic missile killers in Europe for protection against an Iranian attack.

“Today, we have a number of priorities that we have trouble meeting outside of missile defense,” Campbell said during a Nov. 3 interview with Aviation Week.

These include providing weapons and manpower for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“In my view this is an opportunity to have another service, in this case the Navy, to be the lead service…From a resource perspective, it would be one less competing priority that we have to put in the mix.”

The Pentagon plans to field land-based SM-3 Block IB interceptors, originally designed for launch from Aegis ships, in Europe by 2015. Eventually, the SM-3 Block IIA, built on a 21-inch booster (the IA and IB use 13.5-inch boosters), will likely be based on European soil. It is unclear what type of fire control and sensor architecture will be used. Candidates include those used for the Navy’s Aegis ship system or the Army’s Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system now being fielded.

It would seem a natural mission for the Army to fund and field the land-based SM-3 mission as the lead service. Campbell notes that the Army has 10 years of experience in operating missile defense architectures abroad through the Patriot, PAC-3 and now Thaad. “We’ve only started to scratch on the surface on how would it work in the theater with the new Terminal High-Altitude Air Defense, Thaad, and then how would it work with an Aegis ship introduced into the same region … and Patriot could be part of that architecture,” Campbell said.

However, he says the service is facing too many financial troubles to take on the mission.

Inputs from both the Army and Navy have been sent to the Pentagon for consideration. A final decision is expected on the matter soon.

Photo: DoD