President Obama’s last National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), a joint agreement between the president and Congress which authorizes funds and policies for the Department of Defense for 2017, was passed by the Senate and House on December 8. Within this agreement there are numerous policies relating to air and missile defense for the United States (Link to the NDAA passed by Congress). There is a forward-thinking and more aggressive approach inserted by Congress in this NDAA on the air and missile defense for the U.S. Homeland than President Obama and his administration had intended.

Here are a few key policy changes that will become law once the NDAA is signed by President Obama.

Changing U.S. missile defense policy established in the nation’s 1999 National Defense Policy from a limited one focused on North Korea and Iran.

Sec. 1681-National Missile Defense Policy

• It is the Policy of the United States to maintain and improve and effective, robust missile defense system capable of defending the territory of the U.S., Allies, deployed forces, and capabilities

Increasing capability for the air and missile defense of Hawaii and operationalizing the Aegis Ashore capability at Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) for U.S. Homeland defense. 

Sec. 1685-Maximizing Aegis Ashore capability and developing medium range discrimination radar

• Require the Secretary of Defense to conduct a complete evaluation of the optimal anti-air warfare capability for each current Aegis Ashore site and as part of any future deployment by the U.S. of an Aegis Ashore Site
• Also be required to conduct an assessment of the ballistic and air threat against Hawaii and the efficacy of making the Aegis Ashore site at the Pacific Missile Range Facility Operational and deploying the preferred alternative for fielding a medium range ballistic missile defense sensor for the defense of Hawaii

Sec. 1693-Plan for Procurement of Medium Range Discrimination Radar in Hawaii to improve homeland missile defense

• Director of MDA (Missile Defense Agency) shall develop a plan to procure a medium range discrimination radar or equivalent sensor for a location the director determines will improve homeland missile defense for the defense of Hawaii from limited ballistic missile threat
• Field such radar not later than December 31, 2021

Enhancing our current ground-based missile defense for the U.S. Homeland through modernization and mobile transportable launchers and interceptors as well as forced annual intercept testing for the ground-based interceptors. 

Sec. 1694- Review of missile defense agency budget submission for ground based midcourse defense and evaluation of alternative ground based interceptor deployments

• Reports for the modernization requirements for the GMD (Ground-based Midcourse Defense) system
• Evaluation of transportable Ground Based Interceptor not later than 180 days after the enactment of this act
• Report…technical readiness, and feasibility of transportable ground based interceptor for the defense of the Homeland against limited ballistic missile attack

Sec. 1689- Required Testing by Missile Defense Agency of Ground Based Midcourse Defense Element of Ballistic Defenses System

• Testing Required-not less frequently than once each fiscal year, the director of the MDA shall administer a flight test of the GMD
• Ensure the interoperability of GMD with other elements of the BMD systems

New Technologies- Development of non-ballistic defense systems to defeat hypersonic threats currently being tested by the Chinese and Russians as well as placing accountability on directed energy weapons. 

Sec. 1687- Hypersonic Defense capability development

• The Director of the MDA shall serve as the executive agent for the DoD (Department of Defense) for the development of a capability by the United States to counter hypersonic boost glide vehicle capabilities
• Shall develop architectures for hypersonic defense capability from detecting threats to intercepting such threats
• Not later than September 30, 2017, establish a program of record to develop a hypersonic defense capability

Sec. 219- Designation of Department of Defense Senior Official with principal responsibility for directed energy weapons

• Not later than 180 days after the enactment of this act the Secretary of Defense shall designate an official with principal responsibility for the development and demonstration of directed energy weapons for the Department
• The official shall develop a detailed strategic plan to develop, mature, and transition directed energy technologies to acquisition programs of record
• Plans shall include a strategic roadmap for the development and fielding of directed energy weapons and key enabling capabilities for the Department
• Acceleration of development and fielding of directed energy weapons
• The High Energy Laser Joint Technology office of the DoD is hereby redesignated as the Joint Directed Energy Transition Office

Bringing forward offensive and defensive capabilities together to defeat ballistic missiles. 

Sec. 1684- Review of the missile defeat policy and strategy of the United States

• The Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff shall jointly conduct a new review of the missile defeat capability, policy, and strategy of the United states for:
  • Left and right of launch ballistic missile defense for regional and homeland purposes
  • Full range of active, passive, kinetic and non-kinetic defense measures across the full spectrum of land, air, sea and space-based platforms
  • Integration of offensive and defensive forces for the defeat of ballistic missiles

These congressional acts of checking and balancing the president with air and missile defense polices on the NDAA for fiscal year 2017 will pass into law once signed by President Obama and acts as a critical and important attribute for making our nation safer today and in the future. We commend Congress for their commitment to monitor and advance the air and missile defense capabilities for the defense of the United States of America and its people.