{"id":15849,"date":"2021-06-30T20:40:12","date_gmt":"2021-06-30T20:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/06\/30\/why-congress-should-provide-reliable-funding-for-directed-energy-capabilities\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T21:30:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T21:30:05","slug":"why-congress-should-provide-reliable-funding-for-directed-energy-capabilities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2021\/06\/30\/why-congress-should-provide-reliable-funding-for-directed-energy-capabilities\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Congress should provide reliable funding for directed-energy capabilities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

On June 8, the U.S. Army took the unusual step<\/a> of asking Congress to allow it to slow the pace at which it is required to purchase and field the Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2, designed to protect U.S. bases from cruise missiles and other threats. Congress had previously mandated that the Army should have two batteries of IFPC Increment 2 by fiscal 2023 in addition to two Iron Dome batteries purchased as IFPC Increment 1. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the Army\u2019s view, the 2023 timeline would force the acquisition of an interim solution rather than dedicating finite resources on a more enduring capability that could connect with the military\u2019s network and radars, something Iron Dome does not do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the decision to focus on the \u201cenduring solution\u201d is accompanied by a request to repeal a congressional requirement for the Army to \u201cconsider a range of directed energy weapon systems\u201d before the FY23 deployment of IFPC Increment 2. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deprioritizing directed-energy weapons<\/a> for IFPC Inc 2 comes at a critical and promising time in the development of this technology and capability area. Every opportunity should be taken to secure reliable investment in directed energy as a crucial component of layered efforts to cope with not only the cruise missile threat, but also the expanding air and cruise missile threats to U.S. bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Awareness of the scale and nature of the cruise missile threat to U.S. bases has ramped up as Russia\u2019s and China\u2019s capabilities have advanced and the value of cruise missiles has been demonstrated in combat. Cruise missiles are now proliferating widely as both states and nonstate actors recognize that they offer a low-cost, low-flying, difficult-to-detect-and-defeat capability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the threat to U.S. bases is not limited to cruise missiles. Among the other emerging and problematic air and missile defense threats is the growing global interest in and development of loitering munitions and drone-swarming concepts and technologies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditionally, only a handful of countries<\/a> have made and sold loitering munitions. The list of manufacturers has grown in the last year, meaning that even if many of the new suppliers are allied or partners, these weapons will be available to a growing range of actors. Indeed, they already are. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At February\u2019s International Defence Exhibition and Conference<\/a> in Abu Dhabi, ADASI, a subsidiary of the United Arab Emirates\u2019 <\/b>defense industry conglomerate Edge Group, displayed the QX family of four loitering munitions<\/a> including micro, mini, fixed-wing and quadcopter systems. South African company Paramount and Pride Systems of Armenia were among the other countries displaying new loitering munitions<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\t