The Pentagon on Monday conducted a "salvo" intercept of an unarmed missile flying over the Pacific, the first test of its kind, using two interceptor missiles launched from underground silos in southern California.
The two interceptors focused on the target - a reentry vehicle launched at 4,000 miles over an intercontinental missile, the Pentagon said.
Interceptors were launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The target missile was launched from the Reagan test site in the Marshall Islands.
Although the missile defense system has been in operation for more than a decade, it was the first time that it had attempted a "salvo" interception in which more than one interceptor missile was launched on a single target missile.
Laura Grego, a senior scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, said before Greaves' announcement that a successful interception did not mean that the missile defense system was fully prepared to defend the United States in combat.
In the 2020 defense budget request sent to Congress earlier this month, the Pentagon had asked for $ 9.4 billion for missile defense, including the Alaskan-based system.
