CDI’s "Briefing Room"

U.S., Canada Reach Agreement Allowing Troops to Cross Border —A new agreement between the United States would allow troops from either country to cross their mutual border if the continent is attacked by terrorists. Under the agreement U.S. forces in Canada would be under Canadian command, while Canadian troops in the United States would be under U.S. command. An example given when such cooperation could be necessary was a biological attack against Vancouver, when U.S. forces might be in a position to respond more quickly than Canadian troops.

Missile Defense Intercept Test is a Failure —The Ground-based Midcourse missile defense (GMD) program experienced a setback this week when an interceptor test failed. The exoatmospheric kill vehicle (EKV) did not separate from its booster rocket, and thus was unable to attempt an intercept of the target missile. The EKV was launched on a modified Minuteman ICBM that is being used as a surrogate until a more advanced booster rocket can be developed. This is not the first time the GMD's EKV has had difficulty separating from the booster rocket. On July 8, 2000, the EKV also failed to separate from its booster rocket; later analysis indicated this was a result of the malfunction of the booster rocket's 1553 data bus, which gives commands to the EKV.

NATO, Russia to Sign Military Cooperation Agreement — Russia and NATO are expected to sign a new agreement next week for cooperation on sea rescue missions and to explore other forms of military cooperation such as airlift and airborne-refueling. The agreement is the first since the formation of the NATO-Russia Council earlier this year that gave Russia a limited formal role in the alliance. NATO and Russian officials have been working since then to determine in what ways cooperation can best occur.

Fielding of Eurofighter Delayed Until June —The initial fielding of the Eurofighter with the British Royal Air Force, originally planned for this month, has been delayed until June. According to British officials, the additional time was needed to collect necessary safety data and resolve certain "design issues." The decision comes in the wake of last month’s crash of a Eurofighter prototype over Spain in which both engines shut down simultaneously. The two pilots ejected safely. Also this week an accident investigation committee assigned by the Eurofighter consortium announced that the crash was a result of failure in the aircraft’s engines. This particular prototype was the only one of the fleet of seven development aircraft using an older model engine. The other aircraft, all with newer engines, were deemed safe and returned to flight status.

Court Orders Pentagon To Halt Payment Collection in A-12 Case —A federal court has ordered the Defense Department to stop withholding payments from Boeing and General Dynamics in efforts to collect on settlement payments owed the government by the two companies in the A-12 aircraft case. In august the Pentagon announced that it would begin withholding payments on existing contracts with both companies unless they agreed to pay $2.3 billion for defaulting on the A-12 contract in 1991. DoD actually began withholding payments earlier this month after failing to reach a negotiated settlement. The court ruled that withholding payments was "not in the national interest," and should be halted pending the companies’ appeal of the original August 2001 court award.

Northrop’s Acquisition of TRW Approved —Northrop Grumman has reached an agreement with the Justice Department permitting it to purchase TRW at a cost of roughly $6.7 billion. The new company is expected to have roughly $25 billion in revenue in 2003, and will rival defense giant Lockheed Martin for the lead in military contracting. The acquisition, which was first proposed this summer, was delayed due to concerns about the company’s potential monopoly of satellite technology. The Justice Department approved the deal only after Northrop agreed to a government consent decree that said that the new company would maintain "non-discriminatory" access to reconnaissance satellite systems.