Executive Editor
Joseph Militano
Managing Editor
Josephine Finn
Contributing Editors
Kearney Bothwell
Marcy Vincent
Art Director
Linda Currey
Associate Art Director
Michael Cwichon
Web Designer
Mary Yamanishi
P.O. Box 3064
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406-9851
defender.editor@raytheon.com
On the cover: On December 17, 2007, a Standard Missile-3 was fired from the Japanese destroyer JDS Kongo hitting a target missile launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai, Hawaii. The successful flight test, Japan Flight Test Mission-1, was the first time that a Japanese ship was designated to launch the interceptor missile, a major milestone in the growing cooperation between the U.S. and Japan. Photo courtesy U.S. Navy.