By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Monday, U.S. Senator Richard Shelby (R) from Alabama attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Missile and Space Intelligence Center’s (MSIC) new Explosive Ordinance Exploitation (EOE) complex.
Senator Shelby said in a written statement, “By drawing upon the capabilities of MSIC and the organizations and associated technology base in the Huntsville area, our nation stands better prepared to defeat a wide variety of threats. I remain committed to MSIC and will continue working to ensure we provide the resources necessary to support their mission for many years to come.”
Sen. Shelby is a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee and secured funding for the project. Once completed in 2014, the $10 million 25,000 square foot EOE facility will support 250 highly skilled analysts responsible for providing critical, time sensitive intelligence information to deployed forces worldwide and key decision makers within the U.S. Department of Defense.
The Deputy Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, David Shedd said that the new facility will give the agency capabilities and technology. Director Shedd said, “What it does is replace buildings that are about 50 years old with the latest technology. It enables analysts from the intelligence community, in particular the Missile and Space Intelligence Center, to be able to have the latest available computation and modeling to be able to understand how these systems operate and better protect our service men and women.”
The Missile Space Intelligence Center’s beginnings can be traced to just after World War II when a small intelligence section was formed as part of the team that was assembled by Dr. Werhner Von Braun. Originally the section consisted of just six people. Their responsibility then was to obtain, analyze, and report on foreign missile projects. Today, the MSIC employees 650 military and civilian workers; and delivers critical analysis to both the American Armed Forces and the American Intelligence Community.
