Missile Defense

During an impassioned address to Congress in 1958, then Senator John F. Kennedy warned the United States of an impending “missile gap” with the Soviet Union: “I realize that it is hard for us to accept the reality of our danger…I realize that we are reluctant to reexamine policies arduously reached, or to believe that these problems cannot be postponed. But it is precisely this substitution of our preferences for our responsibilities that has led us to the brink of the gap.” The United States and its allies stand at a similar precipice in 2020, albeit with multiple enemies that threaten the safety of its citizens. As a response to the shifting international environment, the 2017 National Security Strategy (NSS) outlines U.S. security interests during a time of great power competition, amidst concerns over rogue states and violent terrorists. U.S. threats are expanding, as its adversaries invest in military modernization, develop new nuclear systems, and increase aggressive behavior towards the U.S. and its allies. These threats drive the need to modernize and innovate corresponding defenses to protect the U.S. homeland, regionally deployed forces, and its allies. The integrated, multilayered ballistic missile defense architecture built for this express purpose is an "essential component" of U.S. strategy according to the 2019 Missile Defense Review (MDR). Enhancing missile defense is also listed as a priority action under the first pillar of the NSS: to protect the American people, the homeland, and the American way of life.

Department of Defense (DoD) is requesting $20.3 billion for missile defense in its fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget proposal (inclusive of all DoD agencies and services), down 5.6% from funds appropriated in 2020. In addition to a decrease in funding, the 2021 budget proposal indicates changes to missile defense capabilities, with program cancellations, delays, and shifts in funding away from innovative projects such as hypersonic defense and directed energy. Researchers in the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies believe "[these] changes represent an inflection point for the missile defense enterprise, one characterized by as much uncertainty about policy, posture, programs, and institutions as any time in the last decade." The significance of missile defense in foundational national security directives juxtaposed against exorbitant costs of a technologically relevant architecture in an uncertain economy presents incredible challenges for the U.S. government and missile defense industrial base.

The Executive Summary of this paper will discuss the U.S. missile defense industry, to include its current condition, challenges, and future outlook, the role of government in diplomacy and innovative missile defense technologies. The Essays section then provides research into affordable solutions that address emerging threats from regional and homeland missile defense perspectives, foreign procurement opportunities, and engagement with allies.

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