Breaking Defense:

Early plans for a long-awaited new ballistic missile defense system are on the desk of Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks, but the industry proposals, expected to be approved for development contracts awarded this month, may take more time to work through the process.

An official with knowledge of the program said there have been “no decisions” made yet on the Next Generation Interceptor program, which is awaiting the award of two design and development contracts.

The NGI effort sprung to life in 2019 in the wake of the cancellation of a sputtering $5.8 billion effort to replace the existing Exo-Atmospheric Kill Vehicle, a ground-based interceptor designed to defend the US mainland against long-range ballistic missile attacks.

Pentagon officials and defense industry teams have been working toward two development contracts, which are with Hicks. The participation of Raytheon in the competition means Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is sitting the decision out, as his previous service on the company’s board led him to recuse himself from making any decisions involving the company…

Click here to read the full article.