Act Now to Advance Air and Missile Defense

Extending from mud to space, the spectrum of threats arriving in and through the air domain includes ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial systems, fixed- and rotary-wing manned aircraft, rockets, artillery and mortars. Contrary to popular opinion, the defining characteristic of this threat spectrum is not, however, from some new silver bullet like hypersonic glide vehicles, nor from high-volume salvo attacks, but rather from operational concepts by which threats can be imaginatively mixed and matched with lethal effect, both with themselves and by nonkinetic means. Near-term priorities include interoperability between Terminal High Altitude Area Defense and Patriot batteries, and continued work toward integrated fire control with the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) program. The latter will not be sufficiently mobile, opening up a potential vulnerability to cruise missile attack on the maneuver combat force. Since M-SHORAD will be the primary means to defend the maneuver force, its capabilities will probably need to improve.