Congress Must Increase Support for Missile Defense Technology
Congress is in the process of debating the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) and will fund defense programs, likely as part of an Omnibus Appropriations bill, later this year. During the debate over these two measures, members of the House and Senate should take special care to formulate a strong missile defense policy to combat new missile technologies coming from Russia, China, and potential future nuclear powers, North Korea and Iran.
Protecting American citizens by having a well-funded, and multilayered, missile defense capability will both provide protection, and a strong deterrent, for adversaries deploying new offensive missile capabilities. President Donald J. Trump has boosted funding for defense and the increase should be targeted to programs like missile defense.
I am former Deputy Chief of staff for former Rep. Buck McKeon (R-CA) who was Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee from 2011 to 2015. I understand the way that government allocates resources to help protect America with cutting edge technology. I also understand that there are interests pulling our politicians in many different directions with regard to where to spend taxpayer money on the national defense. This is a unique year with members of the House and Senate dealing with a lack of funding available because of all the money already allocated to address the joblessness and economic displacement of the coronavirus pandemic.
The threats America faces today are in the open. DOD News reported on June 24, 2020, that a recent Missile Defense Advocacy Association conference concluded, “China and Russia are investing heavily in building new missile capabilities in everything from hypersonics to cruise missiles to various ranges of ballistic missiles. But other nations — most notably Iran and North Korea — remain threats, too, and missile defense capabilities from afloat, on the ground or in space must cover that total range.” President Ronald Reagan’s vision of a strong missile defense programs remains the last line of defense for the citizenry from an intercontinental missile attack.
North Korea has made progress in acquiring a nuclear and ballistic missile program. The New York Times reported on June 16, 2020, “North Korea Vows to Boost Nuclear Program, Saying U.S. Diplomacy Failed.” The report indicated that North Korean strongman Kim Jung-un he outlined “new policies for further increasing” its nuclear capabilities. North Korea has restarted testing missiles and the North Korean leader has made menacing remarks that show them to be a threat to American citizens if they ever acquire the capability to fire missiles capable of reaching the United States.
Russia is another example of a nation that we need to watch closely. The old Soviet Union was the first to pose an intercontinental threat to the American homeland and the Los Angeles Times reported back in 2014, “Russia is spending $560 billion on military modernization over the next six years with 25% allocated to aging nuclear forces, part of a program to replace all of its Soviet Union-era launchers.” That is a massive outlay with the goal of upgrading launchers by the end of this year.
One of the most effective defenses to a nuclear missile attack is called the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system. The Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance describes the technology as a cog in the Ballistic Missile Defense System that “provides the capability to engage and destroy limited intermediate- and long-range ballistic missile threats in space to protect the United States homeland.” The GMD has an “integrated communications networks, fire control systems, globally deployed sensors, and Ground-based Interceptors (GBIs) that are capable of detecting, tracking and destroying ballistic missile threats.” The ground-based interceptors that destroy the incoming missiles, called the “Exo-atmospheric Kill Vehicle” (EKV), are based in Alaska and California. This program is critical to be updated and fully funded. One update is to replace aging EKVs after a problem with the last Raytheon directed redesign.
The United States needs to keep up with expanding threats by deploying more GMD interceptors in Alaska and California. With all the requests for funding, Congress should focus on allocating resources to provide for an impenetrable defense to missile attack. And our nation should advertise the increase in capabilities to provide a strong deterrent to Russia, China, North Korea and any other nation considering a missile threat to the United States.
Bob Haueter is former Deputy Chief of Staff to the former Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.
