Army Times:
Lt. Gen. David Mann, as the chief of U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command, must be prepared for a number of international threats: from the sky, in space and via the networks.
The three-star sat down with Army Times to discuss these threats, as well as his command’s unique mission. Interview excerpts, edited for space and clarity:
Q. Can we talk a little bit about the global operations. Where soldiers are right now. Where are you looking to perhaps grow?
A. You know that we are putting the AN/TPY-2 radars. They are X-band radars that we put in various places around the world to help us with our missile defense operations. We have a radar in Israel. We have a radar in Turkey. We have radar in Qatar. We have two radars in Japan. They are primarily missile defense systems that provide the high fidelity data that we need to be able to prosecute a threat, now a missile — basically a ballistic missile.
In terms of adding capability, we are also putting into orbit, Wideband Global SATCOM, WGS, systems. They are satellites that provide that wideband support to the war fighter.
What we are doing is we have come up with a new capability that has a ten-fold increase in terms of providing the bandwidth support to the war fighter. We are completing that constellation. We are continuing to add birds to the constellation and satellites to the constellation up there to give us that increased wideband global satellite support capability.
I talked about the ground base interceptor operation that we do at Fort Greely and at Vandenberg Air Force Base. By the end of FY ’17, working in concert with MDA [Missile Defense Agency], we’re going to complete the third missile field up at Fort Greely that will give us 14 additional ground based interceptors, okay. That will bring up the total fleet from the 30 that we have right now up to a total of 44 by the end of ’17.
Q. Why is that important?
A. Well, that is important because of the fact that capability is the only capability that the country has for protection against ICBMs, Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles emanating from North Korea or from Iran. We see what is going on in North Korea and their activities and the provocations that take place from time to time. Their technology development, their mobile ICBM technologies that they are continuing to develop. To ensure that we have the necessary protections in place, we are putting in 14 additional interceptors up there.
Q. We have spoken to a number of generals who when we asked who they feel the primary threat is right now, their answer is Russia. From a missile defense standpoint, is Russia still the primary threat? Or, what is your perspective on it?
A. The way you have to look at it from missile defense is near peer competitors, which Russia and China are versus non near-peer but from a missile defense perspective are probably more concerning. That is where I would say North Korea and Iran are the most concerning. Missile defense is a little unique in that regard. I would agree that I think the number one threat, or the greatest threat right now is Russia in terms of overall capabilities and just the tone of what you are seeing day to day from their leadership. But if you are going to call it down to specifically missile defense, I think that the irrational nature of what we are seeing in North Korea, and as well, Iran. Their focus on ballistic missiles is most troubling…
