territory and populations against missile attack.

This animation illustrates how NATO's ballistic missile defence capability is designed

to work in the hypothetical scenario. NATO conducts thorough planning to make the best

use of all weapons systems and censors under its command.

First, the threat posed by hostile missiles is determined based on intelligence estimates

of threat capabilities. Next, national critical assets and areas are identified and a detailed

defence planning process begins. Finally, ballistic missile defence assets are assigned

specific roles. Early warning is provided by satellites to

sea- and land-based assets deployed as part of the defence design. When a ballistic missile

is launched towards the Alliance the NATO commander is alerted as its heat signature

is detected by an infrared satellite. That information is then transmitted to a ground

station for analysis. Planning and analysis are led by NATO's Headquarters

Allied Air Command in Ramstein, Germany. When the threat is confirmed the information is

sent to all appropriate command centres, censors and weapons system. As the hostile missile

continues its ascent the engine concludes its burn. At that point the infrared satellite

can no longer detect it. Long-range censors, such as the United States' land-based AN/TPY-2

and The Netherlands' sea-based Smart-L Radar then detect and track the missile. They forward

the information to the Command and Control system so that intercept solutions can be

calculated. The NATO tracking capability also includes

the U.S. Navy AEGIS Combat System, featuring the AN/SPY-1 Radar, which is capable of tracking

more than 100 objects. Together, these censors create a robust detection

and tracking capability. As tracking continues greater accuracy is achieved. The censors

follow the missile as long as possible and share updated information with all other systems.

A key feature of NATO's ballistic missile defence system is an upper layer intercept

capability aimed at destroying missiles outside the atmosphere. This is provided, in part,

by the AEGIS ships. In the future additional systems like the Terminal High Altitude Air

Defence System, or THAAD, could also provide additional capability.

In our hypothetical scenario one of the threat missiles is engaged and destroyed in space.

Threatening missiles that do re-enter the atmosphere become the responsibility of lower-lawyer

elements, such as the Patriot System used by Germany, The Netherlands and the United

States, and the SAMP/T System used by France and Italy.

All censors continue to track threatening missiles. As the threat comes into range lower-layer

shooters engage and destroy any remaining hostile missiles.

In November 2011, during the Live Fire Exercise, Rapid Arrow, NATO commanders successfully

tested essential elements of the interim NATO missile defence capability, using it to plan,

coordinate and carry out engagements against live ballistic missile targets. These were

conducted by German Patriot batteries, assisted by the U.S. AEGIS destroy, USS The Sullivans

and linked by the NATO and U.S. Command and Control systems. NATO participation in this

exercise included several command elements. In Germany the Headquarters Allied Air Command

at Ramstein, and its subordinate command at the Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem

and in Turkey the Headquarters Allied Air Command at Izmir.

During the live fire portion of the exercise small ballistic missile targets were fired

from a remote island near Santorini in the Aegean Sea. The AEGIS destroy detected these

targets and reported them by U.S. satellite communications to the United States 603rd

Air Operations Centre at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany.

From here the track was forwarded to the NATO Combined Air Operations Centre in Uedem, Germany.

The information was then sent to German Patriot units on the Greek Island of Crete and to

NATO's two Allied Air Command Headquarters at Ramstein, Germany and Izmir, Turkey. When

the German Patriot systems detected the target they reported the track over a NATO satellite

link through Verona, Italy, to the NATO Command and Control node in Uedem. There, the NATO

system integrated the data to create a real-time air and missile defence picture, which was

forwarded to NATO's Ramstein and Izmir Headquarters and to the USS The Sullivans. This made all

the relevant command levels aware of the incoming ballistic missile in real time. Based on this

information the Patriot system on Crete successfully engaged and destroyed the hostile missile.

LT. GENERAL FRIEDRICH PLOEGER (Deputy Commander, NATO Allied Air Command Ramstein): As this

whole event only lasted about five minutes from the launch of the target missile to the

final engagement, it also shows how critical a good functioning C2 system is to the overall

Command and Control process. Here at Ramstein we could see everything:

the detection of the launch, the tracking of the target missile going inbound into the

target area; and then the engagement process. NARRATOR: Weapons and censors contributed

to NATO's defence by member nations, together with the NATO Command, Control and Communications

Network have enabled NATO to develop a new ballistic missile capability. This significantly

increases the Alliance's capability to address missile threats and enhances the security

of NATO populations, territory and forces.