The Washington Times
The missile threat against the homeland is growing rapidly in various parts of the world.
Iran has just conducted its second missile test in violation of the recently signed nuclear deal. Russia is actively developing weapon systems that could overcome current U.S. missile defense technology. North Korea is regularly launching missiles to prove nuclear missile capability. China is testing anti-satellite weapons and continuing to invest in asymmetric missile technologies capable of defeating everything from U.S. aircraft carriers to American missile defense.
In response, after killing several missile defense legacy programs from the Bush administration early in his presidency, President Obama’s defense team obviously has come to the conclusion that we need some of these programs after all. The Multiple Kill Vehicle concept has recently been restarted in the National Defense Reauthorization Act of 2016. The Pentagon asked Boeing to develop the design for an interceptor vehicle that can launch several projectiles and hit multiple targets. The Russians have been especially interested in ICBMs that launch multiple decoys to defeat any possible missile defense capability, as they are concerned that their nuclear deterrent will be rendered impotent by American missile defense technology.
It is also obvious that one of the legacies of the Obama administration is that the nuclear missile intercontinental threat has exponentially grown over the last seven years, so Iran and other aggressive states eventually will be able to marry nuclear weapons with the capability to deliver them to American soil.
I can think of no better priority for the American defense establishment than to ensure that as these threats grow, the United States has the technological means to stay a few steps ahead. Failure to do so is not an option.
