On April 6, the United States launched 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles from destroyers based in the Mediterranean, targeting the Al Shayrat Airfield in Syria. The USS Ross (DDG-71) fired 36 of the missiles, while the USS Porter (DDG-78) fired the other 23 Tomahawks. Tomahawk missiles have a range of 1,250-2,500 km and have been an...
Note: This appears as Chapter 6 in Missile Defense 2020: Next Steps for Defending the Homeland. Future Options This study has so far examined the policy and strategic context for homeland missile defense, the historical background and basis for today’s architecture, the state of GMD today, and currently planned upgrades. We turn now to additional...
Note: This appears as Chapter 4 in Missile Defense 2020: Next Steps for Defending the Homeland. Ground-based Interceptor Development Perhaps the most recognizable component of homeland missile defense is the Ground-based Interceptor (GBI) itself, which represents the product of a long line of hit-to-kill interceptors dating back to the 1980s (Figure 4.1). Many of the...
Note: This appears as Chapter 3 in Missile Defense 2020: Next Steps for Defending the Homeland. The State of Homeland Missile Defense Today Today’s homeland missile defense efforts rest on an integrated system encompassing a wide range of sensors, interceptors, and command and control mechanisms. Since late 2004, these have provided a limited defensive capability...
Note: This appears as Chapter 5 in Missile Defense 2020: Next Steps for Defending the Homeland. Sensors and Command and Control No missile defense system is better than the sensors and command and control systems that determine where the threat is and how to kill it. While interceptors tend to capture the imagination, sensors are...
Note: This appears as Chapter 1 in Missile Defense 2020: Next Steps for Defending the Homeland. Homeland Missile Defense in U.S. Strategy Missile defenses for the homeland now represent an established part of U.S. national security strategy and policy, and the first priority of U.S. missile defense efforts, even while the particular programs, budget levels,...
Note: This appears as Chapter 2 in Missile Defense 2020: Next Steps for Defending the Homeland. Chapter 2: The Evolution of Homeland Missile Defense The homeland missile defenses fielded today and those under consideration for the future are shaped by two basic factors: the fundamentals of how missile defense works and past policy and programmatic...
Protecting the homeland is regularly identified as the top priority of U.S. missile defense efforts. This mission is dependent upon a global network of sensors and interceptors, including the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system, or GMD. The formal prioritization of homeland missile defense, however, has not always been reflected in the budget. Watch the Video: Today’s...
Note: Later information has revealed that the KN-17 refers to the Hwasong-12, not the Scud-variant as previously believed. Reports indicate that on the morning of April 5, 2017, North Korea tested a medium range ballistic missile from Sinpo, in the South Hamgyong province of North Korea. Although initial intel says that the missile was a...
On April 2, Israeli officials declared operational the newest component of Israel’s layered missile defense system, David’s Sling, at Hatzor Air Force Base near Ashdod. David’s Sling was jointly developed by Israel and the United States, and represents the layer of protection in-between the lower-tier Iron Dome, and the higher-tier Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 systems....
