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On Wednesday, November 16, Fox News wrote an article stating that the U.S. must invest more in its missile defense system to prepare for the growing and advancing threat of weapons capabilities as China and other nations start to acquire hypersonic weapon capabilities, a missile defense advocate told Fox News Digital. “We’re below one and a half percent of our defense budget on defensive capabilities,” said Riki Ellison, former NFL linebacker and founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance. “That’s pretty ridiculous. The most vocal is the Department of Defense because that’s what it is. So, we are way off balance with lack of defensive capabilities.” "My whole organization is built to support the deployment, the evolution of missile defense around the world because I believe that it makes the world safer," Ellison said. "There's no question it does."
On Friday, November 18, Kyiv has yet again requested the US to provide the Patriot missile defense system in response to Russia’s massive missile attacks on Ukraine. In a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba urged the US to supply Patriot systems and expedite the delivery of air defense equipment to Ukraine. Ukrainian foreign minister posted a statement on Twitter, saying, “I thanked the US for its crucial defense assistance and emphasized that deliveries of air defense systems to Ukraine need to be sped up,” he tweeted.
Also on Friday, North Korea fired an intercontinental ballistic missile that landed near Japanese waters in its second major weapons test this month that showed a potential ability to launch nuclear strikes on all of the U.S. mainland. While it’s unclear whether North Korea possesses functioning nuclear-armed missiles, some experts say Friday’s launch involved its longest-range missile, which is still under development and is designed to carry multiple nuclear warheads to overcome U.S. missile defense systems.
On Monday, November 21, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) and the United States Missile Defense Agency (MDA) announce the successful completion of a two-week missile defense event incorporating two live fire exercises. The event, designated Japan Flight Test Mission–07 (JFTM–07) was held in cooperation with the U.S. Navy. The first live fire event demonstrated a successful engagement of a Standard Missile 3 (SM–3) Block IIA fired from the JS Maya (DDG 179) against a medium range ballistic missile T4-E target. The JS Maya tracked and fired on the target successfully destroying it over the Pacific Ocean. This is the first time a Japanese Maya-class destroyer has fired a SM–3.
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