As we open the new year of 2019 in the purview of missile defense, we acknowledge competitors and threats to our way of life, await our national response to those threats in the form of policy guidelines in the upcoming Missile Defense Review (MDR) and increase reliance on our allies and partners to contribute to a cross-domain missile defense capability.

THREATS

• China has continued to develop its own advanced capabilities from hypersonic glide vehicles to maneuverable cruise and ballistic missiles, as demonstrated by a test of its JL-3 Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) in late November. China also reaffirms the A2/AD of its artificial islands in the South China Sea and continues to develop and deploy missiles with advanced capabilities to hold at risk U.S. forces operating in the Pacific eastward from China to Guam.
• Russia ended 2018 with a successful test of its Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle on December 26, which is expected to reach initial operating capability in 2019. Russia continues its aggressive buildup in Ukraine and on the borders of Eastern Europe, enhancing its Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) strategy with deployments of long-distance ballistic missiles and over the horizon cruise missiles.
• Engagement with North Korea on its denuclearization and Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) capability to strike the United States has stalled with both parties. Acknowledging North Korea’s continued production and development of nuclear weapons and ICBM capable missiles to achieve overmatch of U.S. missile defenses.
• Iran and its unchecked missile development program is the most concerning as it continues to develop ICBM capability with space launches, which Iran has three scheduled this year. Iranian development, deployment, and operations of regional missile strike capability through its proxies in Yemen, with 360 degree strikes by long distance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) on Gulf Coalition Council (GCC) nations is of equal concern.
• Proliferation of these demonstrated technologies, nuclear ICBM capabilities, and new missile weapon systems to other nations and proxy entities.

INITIATIVES

• Global and regional command and control consolidation, leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and cross domain assets to fuse sensors with effectors for the best firing solutions.
• Constellation of space-based discrimination sensors in low Earth orbit and providing global coverage for persistent “no gap” tracking and firing solutions.
• Regional Boost Phase Interceptors (BPI) and sensors on UAVs and F-35s.
• Aegis ship- and land-based underlayer of ICBM defense capable interceptors.
• Hypersonic glide missile defense.
• 360-degree missile defense for forward operating air power projection bases and maneuverable forces.
• Increase efficiency, capability, readiness, and reliability of U.S. homeland missile defense, European Phased Adaptative Approach (EPAA), and Engage on Remote (EoR) on sea, land, air and space.
• Development of directed energy, Hyper Velocity Projectiles (HVP), electrical railguns, and cyber left of launch technologies.

BURDEN SHARING

• Increase interoperability, integration, capabilities, capacity and burden sharing of allies and partners in their sensors, interceptors, and command and control
  • North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member countries
  • Japan and Australia
  • Republic of Korea
  • Israel
  • Gulf Coalition Council member countries
  • Non-NATO nations