A proposal to place U.S. defense missiles at the Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center, formerly known as the Ravenna Arsenal, will get a public airing on June 30, according to the U.S. Missile Defense Agency.
The agency will discuss an environmental impact statement, which is the first phase of its effort to determine whether Ravenna is a viable site for a major defense installation.
The agency is considering additional locations for missiles known as interceptors, which are designed to destroy enemy missiles in space before reaching U.S. targets.
There are currently two missile defense sites with long-range interceptor missiles active at Fort Greely, Alaska, with 40 silos, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., with four.
Construction of a missile launch site at the 33.5-square-mile Ohio Army National Guard facility is estimated to cost anywhere from $1 billion to $5 billion.
The agency will discuss its draft environmental impact statement from 5 to 8 p.m. June 30 at Ravenna High School, 6589 N. Chestnut St. There will not be a formal presentation. Instead, citizens will have an opportunity to talk to officials at a series of stations during the open house.
Other sites under consideration include: Fort Custer Training Center, Mich.; and Fort Drum, N.Y. Another location in Maine already has been eliminated because of significant environmental impacts and costs. The study is required by the fiscal year 2013 National Defense Authorization Act. The Department of Defense has not made a decision to deploy or construct an additional interceptor site.