Breaking Defense:

House lawmakers on the Armed Services Committee want more information from the Pentagon about its future plans for integrating directed energy weapons into its air defenses, and say the US should talk more with an allied nation making progress in the field: Israel.

The HASC’s version of the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act included several amendments aimed at bolstering US and allied air defenses against unmanned aerial systems, rockets, artillery, and missile threats amid conflicts in Europe and the Middle East that lawmakers said to highlight the need for strong air defenses.

“The committee believes that with recent Russian actions in Ukraine, ongoing efforts by Iran and Iranian proxies to use cruise missiles to destabilize and undermine regimes, and growing Chinese capabilities, air defense for the United States and our allies is an increasing priority,” read an adopted amendment from Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo. “This threat environment makes efforts to incorporate allied platforms, such as those with NATO and Israel, into future air defense architectures all the more important…”

Click here to read the full article