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**The U.S. Air Force announced that an unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) was successfully test-fired earlier this week. Launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, the ICBM hit its target over the Pacific Ocean near the Marshall Islands.

Lt. Col. Lesa Toler, 576th Flight Test Squadron commander and the mission director, said, “The fact that we can randomly select an on-alert operational ICBM from any missile wing and launch it without making any modifications to the components to hit a bulls-eye target is a testament to the system’s reliability.” (AP)

**The U.S. Navy has announced the successful interception of a ballistic missile target over the Pacific Ocean, the first Third Fleet operation firing to use the Standard Missile-3 against a ballistic target.

Vice Adm. Samuel J. Locklear, Commander, U.S. Third Fleet, called the engagement “extraordinary” and that it “highlights the successful transition from developmental test flights to operational fleet execution and demonstrates the viability of the Maritime BMD Concept of Operations.” (SPX)

**Sources report that Bahrain is conducting a missile defense exercise with the U.S. According to Bahrain’s official news agency, the exercise is a joint effort with the U.S. Central Command to “boost military cooperation.” The Persian Gulf country has a cooperative agreement with our country’s military. (AFP)

**Earlier this week, a Japanese newspaper reported that the government was “moving towards” launching an early warning missile defense satellite. The newspaper said it received a draft of the ballistic missile defense plan, which contains information about deploying an early warning satellite that would monitor and warn against offensive missile launches. (UPI)

*** Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Director Lt. Gen. Henry Obering is set to retire, ending his 35-year military career. Among his other accomplishments, Obering helped the National Reconnaissance Office secure an out-of-control spy satellite loaded with 1,000 pounds of toxic fuel. The office was concerned the fuel would kill people when the satellite landed. Using a missile interceptor, the agency shot down the satellite. (Source)

*** To protect itself against “possible missile attack,” Turkey intends to acquire eight missile defense systems, according to Murat Bayar, an undersecretary for Defense Ministry. The first target date is 2010. Turkey is negotiating with China, Israel, Russia, and the U.S. to obtain these systems. (Source)

*** An unarmed Minuteman 3 intercontinental ballistic missile launched successfully earlier this week, according to the U.S. Air Force. Traveling about 4,220 miles over the Pacific, the missile’s targets were close to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. (Source)

*** For the first time, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) and Aegis radar systems worked together to destroy a warhead dummy target just below the 60-mile envelope of the earth’s atmosphere off the Hawaiian coast in June. According to MDA spokesman Rick Lehner, “THAAD radar was able to direct and cue the Aegis radar,” which was “very significant for the missile defense infrastructure to be able to pass along radar cues to other platforms like Aegis.” (Source)