August 24; The Marines will get $4 million in the next budget to acquire SHORTSTOP defense systems against air-bursting shells. The Army has had the system since Desert Storm. The system, which has both vehicle and man-portable versions, detects the radar altimeter signals of an artillery shell, determines if it is incoming or outgoing, and (if incoming) transmits a signal that detonates the shell far away from the target, minimizing the effect.--Stephen V Cole