Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) Initial Defensive Operations Capability (IDOC) at Vandenberg Air Force Base Environmental Assessment

Within the Department of Defense, the MDA is responsible for developing, testing, and deploying the Ballistic Missile Defense System. The Ballistic Missile Defense System is designed to intercept threat missiles during all phases of their flight boost, midcourse, and terminal. The Ground-Based Midcourse Defense GMD is a component of the midcourse defense, during which the Ground-Based Interceptors GBIs intercept and destroy long-range missiles during the ballistic midcourse phase of their flight before their reentry into the Earths atmosphere. The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command, on behalf of MDA, has conducted an Environmental Assessment EA of the potential environmental consequences of establishing the capability to launch defensive GBis from Vandenberg Air Force Base AFB, California, in support of the Presidents direction to the Department of Defense to field a set of initial missile defense capabilities.