Worries about terrorists shooting down a commercial airliner with shoulder-fired missiles are justified, says a new Heritage Foundation background paper. Shoulder-fired missiles (in military terminology, man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS) are easily obtainable around the world and have been used by terrorists to bring down civilian aircraft (see ASW, Aug. 18, 2003). Technologies to defend against MANPADS are in various stages of development. These countermeasures work by jamming the incoming missile's guidance system, diverting it away from the target aircraft.

The Heritage Foundation background paper goes on to say:

"Regrettably, government regulations in the form of the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) could prevent the deployment of countermeasures on civilian aircraft at foreign airports. ITAR, which restricts U.S. exports of military equipment, technology, and services, serves an important purpose but, in this case, is hindering the development and implementation of countermeasures to shoulder-fired missiles that could make Americans safer.

"To resolve conflicts between export controls and these defensive systems, four things should be done:

1. Congress should mandate a consultative role for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in the ITAR process.
2. The U.S. Department of State should consider moving these countermeasures from the U.S. Munitions List to the Commerce Department's Export Administration Regulations.
3. The DHS should offer policy guidelines to direct private-sector development of countermeasures, and
4. The private sector should continue to improve the systems to minimize maintenance time and improve capabilities."

(For the full paper, see http://www.heritage.org/Research/NationalSecurity/bg1902.cfm?renderforprint=1)