Army Air and Missile Defense: Preparing for the Future Requires a Joint Force Solution
Abstract
According to the US National Security Strategy, the Joint Force spent the last decade in a "procurement holiday" negatively affecting the evolution of critical capabilities in every operating domain - air, ground, sea, space, and cyberspace. In contrast, US adversaries are enhancing existing offensive missile capabilities while developing new and unprecedented types of sea- and air-launch systems and hypersonic capabilities. As a result, US adversaries have created non-permissive, contested environments which challenge the normal model of US force projection and operational strategies by denying immediate air superiority. Since the post-Cold War era, the United States has shifted from ready forces in overseas garrisons to an expeditionary force. Additionally, the proliferation of precision strike systems and medium-high-altitude air defense systems have furthered eroded the strategic advantages once held by the United States. Consequently, the United States must prepare to gain access into contested environments where air superiority is not a guarantee. Will the current US Army air and missile defense approach work in the anticipated operational environment? This monograph proposes that the US Army's current approach to air and missile defense will not work in the future because of independent service-specific systems and solutions that are unable to communicate data horizontally or vertically across the Joint Force. This monograph examines the strategic environment and the affect from the proliferation of air and missile threats. After establishing a better understanding of the current problem for accessing operational areas, this monograph reviews the current approach to air and missile defense from a pre-conflict and conflict perspective. Subsequently, an assessment of the anticipated operating environment provides the foundation for analysis against the current approach's effectiveness in future conflicts.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 21, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1159758
Entities
People
- Colleen M. Shepherd
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College