The Present and Future of Layered Missile Defense

October 17, 2018

Breaking Defense:

In the face of expanding global threats to U.S. national security from North Korea and elsewhere, layered missile defense has become more important than ever. This vital capability requires that numerous cutting-edge technologies function together seamlessly to protect against catastrophe. And with the entire U.S. mainland in range of a potential intercontinental ballistic missile, there is precious little room for error.

The Department of Defense has a multi-pronged approach to this complex problem. Administered by the Missile Defense Agency, each layer of missile defense has unique capabilities and specific objectives designed for each type of threat, and these must be integrated to protect the homeland, partner nations, foreign military bases, and forward-deployed U.S. and allied forces.

Layered missile defense entails both offensive and defensive capabilities that include short-range systems, such as the Phalanx Close-In Weapons System (CIWS), as well as longer-range defenses, like the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD). Only by continuously refining multiple systems to work in unison can the DoD simultaneously protect against cruise missiles, long-range ballistic weapons, and the growing threat of hypersonic missiles.

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