Al-Monitor:
Congress is pressing the Donald Trump administration to revive a US push for a Gulf-wide missile defense shield to defend against Iran that has stalled amid a diplomatic squabble with Qatar.
Annual defense authorization legislation released today by the House Armed Services Committee calls on the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to take “meaningful steps” toward building an “interoperable ballistic missile threat” that emphasizes “information sharing” and includes “early warning and tracking data.”
The bill also recommends that the United States continue missile defense exercises in the region and increase relevant arms sales. The new language is aimed at figuring out “who’s going to shoot at … what incoming missiles so we can preserve inventory of the defensive missile interceptors,” a committee staffer told Al-Monitor.
