On Monday, the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), ADM Michael Gilday, stated the Navy should divest in Aegis Ashore and transfer the system to “ground forces” in order for the Navy to focus on its core missions. There is currently one operational Aegis Ashore site in Romania, a second operational site under construction in Poland, and a third site at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) in Hawaii currently used for testing and development.
On Tuesday, it was reported the Japanese government plans to consider in 2021 ways to further cooperate with the U.S. on missile defense initiatives. A main consideration for the Japanese government is joining the U.S. Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tracking Layer by potentially collaborating on the development and deployment of the small satellite sensors.
On Thursday, North Korea held a nighttime military parade to celebrate the end of the eighth Workers’ Party Congress. During the parade, North Korea displayed several of its recently tested short-range ballistic missiles to include the KN-23, KN-24, and the KN-25. Also displayed were two new missiles, a possible variant or new missile similar to the KN-23 SRBM and the Pukguksong-5 submarine launched ballistic missile.
Also on Thursday, it was reported the DoD had approved low rate initial production for the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS). IBCS ties together various sensors and shooters to track and intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and unmanned aircraft. The Army currently expects to equip its first unit with the IBCS system by October 2022.
On Friday, it was reported the Missile Defense Agency had selected L3 Harris to build a prototype satellite for the future Hypersonic and Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS) system. Work for the prototype is expected to be completed by July 2023.
Throughout the week, Iran launched several ballistic and cruise missiles during several days of military exercises. On Thursday, Iran’s Navy launched several ship- and land-based cruise missiles at targets in the sea during a drill in the Gulf of Oman. On Friday, Iran launched several ballistic missiles at “hypothetical enemy bases.” Saturday, Iran launched several anti-ship ballistic missiles, with at least two hitting targets 1,800 km away in the Indian Ocean. Missiles used during the two day “Great Prophet 15” exercise included the Dezful, the Ghadr, the Emad, and the Sejjil ballistic missiles.
