{"id":29782,"date":"2019-05-29T20:57:12","date_gmt":"2019-05-29T20:57:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/05\/29\/senators-push-for-armys-full-ownership-of-terminal-missile-defense-system\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T22:27:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T22:27:16","slug":"senators-push-for-armys-full-ownership-of-terminal-missile-defense-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/land\/2019\/05\/29\/senators-push-for-armys-full-ownership-of-terminal-missile-defense-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Senators push for US Army to fully own terminal missile defense system"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 Senate authorizers would transfer responsibility of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, or THAAD<\/a>, from the Missile Defense Agency to the Army, according to an executive summary of the Senate Armed Services Committee\u2019s version of the fiscal 2020 defense authorization bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bill\u2019s full text has not been released, but the summary states that all funds for THAAD\u2019s procurement and sustainment would be transitioned from the MDA to the Army.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, the committee \u201cencourages\u201d the Army to request funding to buy the eighth and ninth batteries in the next budget cycle. The service has only funded and built the first seven batteries and, while the requirement for nine batteries has remained for years, the final two have never been funded to reach that threshold.<\/p>\n\n\n\t