Historically there was no ballistic missile defence system. It started in 2004. The Bush administration made that decision premised basically on North Korea's behaviour.
In 2004 we decided that NORAD's ballistic missile detection information could go to Northern Command, which holds the mission for ballistic missile defence.
The risk in not being part of ballistic missile defence is that we don't have a say in a decision whether to strike down a ballistic missile. Let's say there's a missile coming at Churchill, Manitoba, and to strike it down might create collateral damage, or whatever, then our commander won't have a say in whether the strike takes place. There's that risk, but there is another risk that I think is even more likely, and that is when we're cut out of information.
I did say in my prepared comments that there is information out there, and that we're not cut out of it. In response to my questions at NORAD, I have been assured that we're not cut out of information, but it is possible because there are many sensors that have been deployed since our decision in 2005 not to take part in ballistic missile defence.
There is the x-band radar in the north Pacific, the Aegis cruisers, the ships in the Sea of Japan, as I've mentioned. There's also a new land-based detection system on, I think, the southern part of Japan. There are new sensors that have come into place since 2005.
All of that information is channelled into strategic command, which is in Nebraska. Whether or not space command and strategic command sends all of that information to NORAD—because don't forget our only window on this is NORAD—I don't know, and I think that's a risk. It's an incomplete information sharing risk.