The nation’s military leaders are considering two sites in upstate New York, including the former Griffiss Air Force Base, and one in Maine as potential missile interceptor sites on the East Coast.

The Missile Defense Agency is looking at ten sites on the East Coast, including Fort Drum in northern New York, Griffiss and the former Loring Air Force base in northern Maine.  The agency expects to come up with a list of potential locations for further review within weeks.

The Department of Defense has been directed to create an East Coast interceptor site in response to a perceived threat from Iran. The Missile Defense Agency is a research and development arm of the Defense Department.

Griffiss Air Force Base was closed in 1995 as part of a round of military closings around the country. It still maintains a role in the NORAD — or North American Aerospace Defense Command — surveillance system that monitors air space for threats.

"It makes strategic sense to have an East Coast missile defense site in upstate New York," said U.S. Rep. Richard Hanna, whose district includes Griffiss. "The physical and economic resources already available at the former Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome make it the best location for such a site."

 

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