On January 10, the U.S. Department of Defense announced that it will not replace Boeing as the prime integrator for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system. An Independent Readiness Review Team (IRRT) composed of subject matter experts found that the Missile Defense Agency was not ready to assume the GMD weapon system prime role at this time and that doing so presented “an unacceptable level of risk” for the Agency. Instead of taking over the program, MDA will extend its current GMD contract for an additional five years. The extended contract terms will require Boeing to: “accelerate the Redesigned Kill Vehicle (RKV) development, design and delivery; emplace an additional 20 silos for Missile Field 4 (MF4) at Fort Greely, Alaska; and, fabricate and assemble an additional 20 Ground Based Interceptors tipped with RKVs for deployment to MF4.” These activities and products are expected to be completed by December 31, 2023.