Missile defense funds are likely to grow—a lot. In addition to a September reprogramming of an additional $249 million for the Missile Defense Agency for FY 2017, appropriations for FY 2018 could exceed $11 billion, over $3 billion more than the president's original request. This would make for the highest level of missile defense funding in a decade...
The Trump Administration’s proposed FY2018 budget for the Missile Defense Agency was released yesterday with a topline request of $7.9 billion. The amount represents $380 million more than the budget submitted by the Obama administration in FY 2017, a five percent increase, and $471 million more than the projected 2018 budget from last year’s Future...
In policy pronouncements over the last two administrations, the protection of the American homeland was regularly identified as the first priority of U.S. missile defense efforts. Homeland missile defense today is provided by the Ground-based Midcourse Defense program and other elements of the larger Ballistic Missile Defense System...
The Russian military test-fired two submarine-launched ballistic missiles and a ground-based Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile in the midst of growing tensions between Moscow and Washington over Syria. The SS-N-23 SLBM launches took place from a Pacific Fleet sub in the Sea of Okhotsk and a Northern Fleet sub in the Barents Sea. The Topol-M launch took place...
This study explores the growing competition for scarce dollars at the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA). It traces the authorities, roles, and missions assigned to the agency and the growing trend of using what was originally intended to be a research and development budget for procurement and sustainment of missile defense assets. As adversary missile...
