On Wednesday, Admiral Harry Harris and General Curtis Scaparrotti appeared before the House Armed Services Committee to provide testimony on “The Challenge of Conventional and Hybrid Warfare in the Asia-Pacific Region: The Changing the Nature of the Security Environment and its Effect on Military Planning.” Below are a few highlights regarding ballistic missile defense in the Pacific.
Witnesses:
Admiral Harry B. Harris, Jr. USN Commander, U.S. Pacific Command
General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, USA Commander, U.S. Forces Korea
General Scaparrotti on missile defense as a top priority in maintaining Republic of Korea and U.S. combined readiness:
“It is critical for the alliance to establish a layered and interoperable Ballistic Missile Defense. To advance this goal, in the near future we will begin bilateral consultations regarding the feasibility of deploying the THAAD system to the Republic of Korea, which would compliment the Patriot capabilities.”
General Scaparrotti: “I think the discussions we are having right now to add THAAD to the Korea is very important. We need THAAD there to have a layered defense. I need more munitions for the fight, so that I have the first thirty days of munitions in terms of the interceptors. And I rely on the quick deployment of at least two more battalions of Patriot as well if we go to crisis. So the assets of BMD there, the more that I have there, the better protected we are.”
Admiral Harris: “In the Pacific, Patriot is a key part of our ballistic missile defense as is THAAD. So we have a THAAD battery in Guam that is there on a temporary basis now, expect it to go to permanent status, PCS status if you will, later this year (2016).”
Admiral Harris on Aegis Ashore test site in Hawaii:
“I talked about my desire to keep it as a permanent facility, because it has demonstrated a great capability.” Later went on to say “I think we should study it, I think we should take a hard look at it and whether we want to make it a permanent facility or not. But there is a lot between now and then. This is just an idea now.”
General Scaparrotti on current U.S. hardware and munitions on the peninsula and how that relates to possible scenarios he sees taking place in regards to North Korea:
“It is going to be a situation where I want to be ahead of that, to be able to deter the aggressor. So my need particularly is to have the forces , ballistic missile defense forces, etc., so when I pick up the indication and warning, I can establish my defense, protect South Korea, our forces, and our population there immediately. I think I have a good force for doing that today in the peninsula, but I also rely on PACOM immediate forces to respond.”
Admiral Harris on the importance of missile defense in deterring North Korea and whether there is currently enough capability to deter and/or defeat a North Korean ballistic missile attack:
“First I will talk about the criticality of a layered defense. It is absolutely critical. We have 28,000 American troops on the Korean peninsula, we have their families, we have several hundred thousand Americans who live and work in South Korea and the North Korean capability is growing. They threaten not only our fellow citizens and our allies in Korea, they threaten Japan, they threaten Hawaii, the West Coast of the Mainland of the United States, and then potentially the East Coast.” Later added, “I think the layered defense is the only answer, to go after the missile once launched. That means THAAD, I am glad we are engaged in consultations with Korea on putting a THAAD battery there, Patriot, Aegis, the whole thing.”
General Scaparotti on how he what types of capabilities he would invest in if he was given more funding:
“I would go back to the ballistic missile defense assets. For instance Patriot, it would be ideal to have more Patriot then I have now, as opposed to having to relying on the additional Patriot at crisis. But the fact of the matter is, is that our missile defense forces are stretched. There is great demand around the globe who have for similar kinds of threats, THAAD for instance, is the same. If I were to tell you what more could I use and you had the budget to do it, I think those would be my top two right there.”
