{"id":29224,"date":"2021-09-28T13:45:32","date_gmt":"2021-09-28T13:45:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2021\/09\/28\/defense-department-shakeup-must-not-derail-homeland-missile-defense-priorities\/"},"modified":"2026-08-18T20:43:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-18T20:43:19","slug":"defense-department-shakeup-must-not-derail-homeland-missile-defense-priorities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2021\/09\/28\/defense-department-shakeup-must-not-derail-homeland-missile-defense-priorities\/","title":{"rendered":"Defense Department shakeup must not derail homeland missile defense priorities"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

News broke last week that as part of a reorganization<\/a> within the Department of Defense, the position of deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy was eliminated. The timing of the move is curious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because currently underway in Washington, DC, is a singularly critical governmental review of the United States\u2019 ability to protect its territory and people from attack by a wide array of missiles. Dubbed the Missile Defense Review, this multi-faceted analysis is essentially a periodic review of the various missile threats to the nation, identification of necessary missile defense counter-capabilities, and then the development of a detailed plan to acquire the required systems to defeat those threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last review was completed in 2017 so the current effort is as timely as it is important. Changes in the threat environment and the emergence of new technology and associated systems require the Defense Department to reevaluate and update its planning. And things have changed dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Missile Defense Reviews historically have focused on Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles launched from rogue nations like North Korea and Iran. However, the threat environment in recent years has exploded with adversary capabilities. These include longer-range rocket boosters and highly sophisticated reentry vehicles on Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, very long range, highly accurate stealth cruise missiles, and very recently, Russian and Chinese hypersonic missiles, against which we currently have no defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To address the \u201cwhole threat space\u201d challenge Missile Defense Agency Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill has outlined<\/a>, this Missile Defense Review must conduct a clear-headed, dispassionate, holistic analysis of all the current and emerging threats we face. The review must also identify those current technologies and programs of record available to defeat those threats and determine what additional technologies and capabilities are necessary to close any current or near-term gaps in our defenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\t