A group of U.S. Senators recently introduced a new bill that aims to improve the capability and capacity of U.S. homeland missile defenses. The Advancing America’s Missile Defense Act of 2017 would authorize the emplacement of an additional 28 Ground-based interceptors (GBIs) at Ft. Greely, Alaska, and accelerate the development of several new interceptor systems, including the Redesigned Kill Vehicle, the Multi-object Kill Vehicle, and a two or three stage selected GBI boosters. The bill would also require the DOD to examine deployment options for up to 100 GBIs in total, increase GBI testing, and study the potential of transportable GBIs.
The bill was introduced by Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), who was joined by Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Gary Peters (D-MI), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Joe Manchin (D-WV), Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).
“Our nation’s missile defense is a critical insurance policy that protects Americans and our allies from a nuclear catastrophe,” said Senator Sullivan. “Top military leaders have been sounding the alarm, saying it is only a matter of ‘when, not if,’ Kim Jong-un will get the capability to range cities in the continental United States with a nuclear inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM). The Advancing America’s Missile Defense Act of 2017 heeds that warning and seeks to advance our nation’s ability to outpace the current threats. I thank my colleagues on both sides of aisle for coming together to address this critical national security issue.”