On February 3, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency and the Japanese Ministry of Defense conducted a successful intercept test of the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block IIA. This was the third flight test and first intercept test for the jointly-developed missile. The SM-3 IIA was fired by the USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53), which intercepted and...
Breaking with tradition, the U.S. Army has submitted its revised 2017 and new 2018 lists of unfunded priorities ahead of the next budget submission. Both lists include offensive and defensive missile systems as part of an effort to modernize aging systems considered critical for U.S. military operations. The 2017 list includes a $1.3 billion request...
On Friday, January 20, 2017, The United States, South Korea, and Japan began a three-day naval-missile defense exercise in response to concerns of a possible North Korean ICBM test during President Trump’s inauguration. The exercises were conducted as a combined effort between the USS Stethem (DDG 63), the JDS Kirishima (DDG-174), and the ROKS Sejong the Great (DDG-991). Although...
The Navy destroyer U.S.S. Pinckney (DDG-91) conducted two flight tests of the Tomahawk Block IV missile. The first test used the Launch Platform Mission Planning system which allowed the Pinckney, located off the coast of southern California, to use targeting data provided by U.S. Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Virginia. The second test used the...
On December 12, 2016, the Senate confirmed Major General James Dickinson, previously the chief of staff of U.S. Strategic Command, as the new commanding general of the U.S. Army’s Space and Missile Defense Command and the Army Forces Strategic Command. Major General Dickinson will also be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General. Including having served...
On December 1, the United States Senate voted 99-0 in favor of legislation that extends sanctions, including ones pertaining to ballistic missiles, against Iran by 10 years. The House of Representatives approved the same bill in a 419-1 vote in November. In response, Iran has threatened retaliation for what it perceives to be a U.S....
The USS Mason was again targeted by coastal defense cruise missiles launched from Houthi controlled territory inside of Yemen late Saturday night local time. The Mason launched defensive countermeasures, potentially including defensive missiles, and was not struck two U.S. officials said. Initial reports suggest that one incoming missile was intercepted while the other fell into...
On October 9, the USS Mason fired two Standard Missile-2 Block IV interceptors and an Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile in response to multiple cruise missiles launched at it and the USS Ponce off the coast of Yemen. The attack comes after a cruise missile launched by Houthi rebels in Yemen struck a UAE vessel on...
A Monday September 12, 2016 test at White Sands Missile Range demonstrated the ability for an F-35 to pass data to the Aegis Combat System through the Navy Integrated Fire Control-Counter Air, resulting in the successful intercept of a cruise missile target with a Standard Missile-6. The F-35 used its own sensors to pick up...
President Barack Obama nominated Lieutenant General Samuel Greaves to be the next director of the Missile Defense Agency. Greaves currently serves as the Commander of the U.S. Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center. In this role he oversaw the Air Force’s acquisition efforts on military space programs, to include satellites and launch vehicles. Prior...
