Thu, Mar 10, 2005
Launcher Now Adorns Grounds Of US Naval Observatory
The government isn't talking, but the neighbors sure are. And
it's all because of a recent — and very unusual —
addition to the "front yard" of the Navy's Bethesda, Maryland-based
test facility. Located in a very woodsy area of this posh D.C.
suburb is a ground-to-air missile battery. Clearly visible to the
passing cars on the Clara Barton Parkway is this six-silo launcher
stationed on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Surface Warfare Center's
Carderock facility, tucked in-between the famous Beltway and the
Potomac River. It's inside the "No-Fly" zone — about 10 miles
from the White House — and clearly is intended to protect the
center of the nation's capital from anything that might penetrate
that airspace.
Lt. Cmdr. Ed Zeigler, public affairs officer for the Naval
District of Washington, was recently quoted in the Washington Post
as saying that the launcher is part of the North American Aerospace
Defense Command's Operation Noble Eagle, a program designed to
tighten national security since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. He
says the six non-nuclear missiles in the launcher could "counter an
inbound threat."
It isn't known how many other permanent launchers are in the
area. Since 9/11, portable missile launchers have occasionally been
spotted around the DC area, especially when the terrorist threat
levels are elevated.
It probably goes without saying at this point that pilots should
be extremely vigilant near the Baltimore-DC-Capital area.
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