Almost everywhere on earth is currently "within range of missile attacks" without any reliable missile defense shield protecting us. From the report, this was during Operation Desert Storm and they were in an Army barracks. Given that these systems had never been used to defend against SCUD missiles before, it seems likely that they were taking a calculated risk by being there, not simply assuming the missile shield would protect them.

I wasn't aware of the speed issues with intercepting SCUDs. Makes a lot more sense when you factor that in - these systems were being used as a last line of defense, not a shield.