Long live JLENS? NORTHCOM scrambles on cruise missile defense

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A Humvee with a makeshift slingshot used to remove snow and ice from an aerostat is seen February 4, 2015 at the Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland. The Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor System (JLENS) uses traditional technologies like radar while overcoming limitations by deploying the sensors in the air using a pair of tethered blimps. AFP PHOTO/BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

The tethered aerostat designed to defend against cruise missiles is slated to be killed by Congress in fiscal 2017 legislation, leaving missile defense leaders within US Northern Command scrambling to find another way to address the cruise missile defense gap left open on the US East Coast.

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Jen Judson is an award-winning journalist covering land warfare for Defense News. She has also worked for Politico and Inside Defense. She holds a Master of Science degree in journalism from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Kenyon College.