On Monday, the Biden administration announced its plans to remove a significant number of antimissile systems from the Middle East in order to focus on the Russian and Chinese threat. The current plan is to pull 8 Patriot antimissile batteries as well as a THAAD system from various countries in the region. The move shows a strategic shift in the national security interests of the new administration.
Also on Monday, Army Recognition reported that the Spanish Army had received its first shipment of Hawk 21 air defense missiles. The new delivery will help Spain in achieving its goal of increasing the operational availability of the system and ‘extending its life cycle beyond 2030.’
On Tuesday, it was reported that the Ukrainian city of Mariupol is looking to purchase Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system in order to protect the city’s airport from Russia. Mariupol has been plagued by the presence of Russian troops since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. The airport that is near the Russian border has been closed since the fighting broke out, and with the Iron Dome system, Ukraine hopes to restore travel and a sense of normalcy.
On Thursday, in light on several recent Congressional hearings regarding the fiscal year 2022 budget, it was announced that both House and Senate lawmakers are looking to up the Missile Defense Agency’s budget in order to accommodate the development of future capabilities such as a next-generator interceptor and hypersonic defensive capabilities. The agency’s current request is $8.9 billion, but lawmakers still believe the agency requires more to fulfill their duties.
In a recent Senate Armed Services hearing, Vice Admiral John Hill (director of the Missile Defense Agency), stated that U.S. aircraft carriers are facing a threat from hypersonic weapons possessed by adversary armed forces. The Navy has developed early defenses for the threat, but there is a continuous need for the development of defensive capabilities to combat hypersonic missile threats.
