Should the Air Force spend even more on missile warning satellites?

September 18, 2019

C4ISRNet:

Senate appropriators have a message for the Air Force: Make early warning missile satellites a priority.

The Senate Appropriations Committee expressed concern over the Air Force’s plan for funding the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared system in a report on their annual defense spending bill. While the Pentagon requested $1.4 billion for the program in fiscal year 2020, the Senate spending committee noted that the request was $630 million short of what the program needs. With such a gap, senators questioned whether OPIR was a priority for the Air Force.