On Tuesday May 10, it was announced that the Medium Range Interceptor Capability was successful in its live-fire test on targets representative of cruise missile threats. The test, which occurred during a U.S. Marine Corps event on May 6, examined MRIC’s integration capabilities with the US Marine Corps’ AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task-Oriented Radar, Common Aviation Command and Control System, and components of the Iron Dome Weapon System, including the Tamir interceptor. This test is a first in a series designed to prove the MRIC’s ability to intercept cruise missile threats. 

On Wednesday May 11, the Army began relocating its THAAD missile defense battery on Guam from Andersen Air Force Base to the nearby Marine Corps base still under construction, according to military officials. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, which has been on the island for almost a decade, will move to nearby Camp Blaz. Relocating THAAD came as the result of recent evaluations by the Missile Defense Agency of the risks the island faces from hypersonic and ballistic missile threats, the commander of Joint Region Marianas told reporters on Guam earlier Monday.

Also on May 11, Defense Minister Anita Anand said Canada is examining the possibility of joining the United States’ ballistic missile defense system, an openness that comes nearly two decades after Ottawa first rejected an invitation to participate. She stressed that strengthening continental defense extends beyond the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). “We are taking a very bold and aggressive look at what we need to do for the defense of the North American continent,” Anand said. Anand also shared new details about Canada's national defense review, outlining its focus on the emerging danger of hypersonic missiles, continental protection and the rising threat of war. Anand said the review will look to strengthen Canada’s domestic and continental defenses, including NORAD, as well as multilateral alliances, especially through NATO. She also highlighted Canada’s decision in March to pursue a deal to buy 88 F-35s. The government says it will spend up to C$19 billion to buy the warplanes to replace the Royal Canadian Air Force’s aging CF-18 fleet.

On Thursday, May 12, North Korea fired three ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast on Thursday, even as it reported a COVID-19 outbreak for the first time. Three short-range ballistic missiles were fired at around 18:30 (0930 GMT) from the Sunan area of North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, where an international airport is located and where it fired its largest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), the Hwasong-17, on March 24.

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