Washington Examiner:
The House will “double-down” on missile defense in the upcoming budget following a successful intercept of a dummy missile this week, the chairman of the Armed Services Committee said Wednesday.
Rep. Mac Thornberry said the test Tuesday by the Missile Defense Agency that resulted in a direct hit of the unarmed U.S. intercontinental ballistic missile is a warning to North Korea. He said the committee now plans to underscore it with new interceptor investments in the annual National Defense Authorization Act.
A bill recently introduced by Thornberry would put $1 billion into Terminal High Altitude Area Defense interceptors “or lower tier air and missile defense interceptors” for the Asia-Pacific region. It also includes $15 million for joint missile defense exercises with Japan to counter the North’s burgeoning ballistic missile program…
