On Tuesday, April 12, the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance (MDAA) released its first capstone effort to reform U.S. missile defense roles and responsibilities for the rapidly evolving era of great power competition. To meet the missile defense threats of both today and tomorrow, MDAA’s proposal outlines how and why the roles and responsibilities of the Services, Combatant Commands, and the Missile Defense Agency must change, and change soon.
Also on Tuesday, April 12, officials of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in Huntsville, Ala., requested six more Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) launchers, THAAD Fire Control and Communication (TFCC) systems, and support equipment.
On Wednesday, the Navy’s primary research and development agency successfully tested an all-electric, high-energy laser, shooting down “a target representing a subsonic cruise missile in flight,” the Pentagon announced. The Office of Naval Research conducted the test in February at the Army’s High Energy Laser Systems test facility at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico but only announced the results this week.
On Thursday, April 14, Israeli leaders announced that their new laser missile-defense system has successfully intercepted mortars, rockets and anti-tank missiles in recent tests. The Israeli-made laser system, known as the “Iron Beam,” is designed to complement a series of aerial defense systems, including the more costly rocket-intercepting Iron Dome.
On Friday, April 15, Russia's defense ministry said that it had hit a missile plant on the outskirts of Kyiv and vowed that more attacks against Kyiv would continue if Ukraine continued to target Russian territory. The development comes as Ukrainian officials earlier this week claimed that their missiles had hit the flagship of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, the Moskva, which Russian authorities said later sank on Thursday after being set on fire.
On Sunday, April 17, North Korea successfully test-fired a new tactical guided missile, raising fears that President Kim Jong Un, who observed the launch, is focusing on bolstering the country’s nuclear capabilities. The development comes as North Korea conducted a launch late last month of an intercontinental ballistic missile — its first since November 2017 — and could indicate that the Hermit Kingdom is ready to resume nuclear testing, South Korean and US officials said.
