The US Navy continues to campaign for a larger share of the National Missile Defense program (and the money such a larger share would bring). The Ballistic Missile Defense office says that ship-based interceptors would be an important part of future missile defenses, but not until 2010. (The first 100 land-based interceptors should be in Alaska by 2005.) Currently, the land-based component is getting most of the money and the Navy program is only a study project. Even the most skeptical critics, however, admit that the threat will continue to increase over time and that ship-based weapons could provide an additional layer of defense, and hence might be a good addition to the land-based system. --Stephen V Cole