from the interceptor missile and hits the icbm, destroying it completely hundreds of miles up in space. clearly, not an easy task. admiral james searing who is director of the missile defense agency, very pleased and very relieved last night, saying in a statement, this system is important to the defense of our homeland and this test demonstrates that we have a capable, credible deterrent against a very real threat. i m incredibly proud of the war fighters who executed this test and who operate this system every day. this system will be expanded. there are currently 36 of those interceptor missiles, four of them were i am right now at vandenberg air force base, 32 of them in alaska where our cameras got an exclusive look at the 70-foot deep silos in which those missiles are stored. we also met the crews who were
bullet especially in the face of the ramped up testing that we ve seen by the north koreans. most experts say that north korea is within a few short years of being able to target the mainland united states with a nuclear tipped warhead. so this test is absolutely critical. shepard: and these intercepters like always ready to go? 24/7, shep. most of them are actually based off of fort greeley in alaska. 46 of the 32 intercepter missiles. we got exclusive access to fort greeley where the 54 foot long missiles are stored in 70 foot deep silos. there s a team on call 24/7 in the control room there we met with them. they re extraordinary men doing a great job and practice every