Navy Surface ships with ballistic missile defense capabilities — like the cruiser Shiloh, above, firing a Standard Missile-3 during a 2006 test — will patrol the North Sea and the Mediterranean starting in 2011 to provide missile defense to Europe. NAVY U.S. Navy Juggles Ships To Fill BMD Demands -- Defense News
No sooner did the Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) system become operational in 2008 than U.S. combatant commanders started asking for BMD-equipped ships to begin patrolling their areas.
Central Command needed a "shooter" in the northern Arabian Gulf. European Command wanted one in the eastern Mediterranean. Pacific Command already had Aegis ships with limited BMD capabilities on guard around Japan for a potential launch from North Korea.
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My Comment: This should not be a surprise .... the Aegis ballistic missile defense (BMD) system is a proven weapons platform that has performed exceptionally well in tests. With such a track record, it is only natural that U.S. combatant commanders would want this system in their arsenal.