Politico:

Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks has selected the Air Force to oversee the development of a cruise missile defense to protect the United States.

The move bypasses the Missile Defense Agency, which had been angling for the proposed multibillion-dollar mission.

What was decided: The Air Force will be “the acquisition authority with respect to capabilities to defend the homeland against cruise missile threats,” Hicks’ spokesperson, Eric Pahon, confirmed in a statement on Monday.

He noted that the Air Force was selected due to the need to combine intelligence from radars, aircraft and satellites in order to defeat the low-flying, highly maneuverable missiles that can be launched from the ground, aircraft or ships at hypersonic speeds to overwhelm current defenses.

Pahon explained that “the emphasis on domain awareness, early warning, and interagency air-space integration made the Air Force the logical lead.”

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