US looks to expand missile defenses in Guam to counter North Korean advances
 

US looks to expand missile defenses in Guam to counter North Korean advances
By: Shreyas Reddy - NK-News 05-15-23
Re: https://www.nknews.org/2023/05/us-lo...rean-advances/

Defense officials say ‘360-degree layered defense’ seeks to protect against cruise, ballistic and hypersonic threats

Photo link: https://www.nknews.org/wp-content/up...am-935x500.jpg
A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system in Dededo, Guam (Nov. 11, 2022) | Image: U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Hannah Malone

The U.S. seeks to bolster missile defenses in the Pacific territory of Guam as part of Washington’s “comprehensive missile defeat strategy” against North Korea, senior defense officials have told Congress, amid concerns about the U.S. ability to counter advancing DPRK capabilities.

Addressing the Senate Armed Services Committee’s subcommittee on strategic forces on Tuesday, Missile Defense Agency director Vice Adm. Jon Hill stated that the Pentagon is improving the territory’s capabilities and capacity to defend against “diverse missile threats.”

“In collaboration with the Army and Navy, we are moving toward meeting an INDOPACOM requirement for a persistent 360-degree layered defense capability on Guam against simultaneous raids of cruise, ballistic, maneuvering and hypersonic threats,” he said.

Hill said that Washington is currently in the early stages of developing the Homeland Defense Radar-Guam — also called the AN/TPY-6 radar — and the Aegis Guam System to protect Guam through “persistent long-range midcourse discrimination, precision tracking, missile engagements and hit assessment.”

North Korea previously highlighted its ability to attack the U.S. island territory with missiles in the event of a conflict, and in March warned that it would interpret any U.S. interception of long-range missiles launched toward the Pacific Ocean as a “declaration of war.”

The development of these systems is in line with the Pentagon’s recent efforts toward a “comprehensive missile defeat approach” against North Korea, including a request for $1.5 billion to strengthen Guam’s missile defenses.

The Pentagon also requested $3.3 billion to improve its ground-based midcourse defense (GMD) system to defend the U.S. mainland against North Korean missiles, including $2.2 billion for a next-generation interceptor.

In Tuesday’s testimony, Hill reaffirmed efforts to strengthen the GMD system and deter Pyongyang’s “limited but increasingly advanced” long-range ballistic missiles.

He cited an increase earlier this year in the U.S. Northern Command’s ground-based interception capacity, which he said will help mitigate the risk until Washington deploys next-generation interceptors by 2028 at the latest. He added that the service life of the existing ground-based interceptors will be extended to improve reliability and availability.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb and Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command chief Glen VanHerck also noted efforts to strengthen Guam’s missile defenses in statements to the committee.

“The Integrated Air and Missile Defense architecture for the defense of Guam … will simultaneously protect U.S. forces and our ability to project power in the region,” Plumb said.

VanHerck expressed confidence in current U.S. capabilities to defend against the threat posed by Pyongyang’s ballistic missiles and “reckless pursuit of advanced nuclear capabilities,” but stressed that missile defenses must be strengthened further.

“Looking forward, I am concerned about future capacity and capability to respond to advancing DPRK ballistic missile threats, making it crucial to field the next-generation interceptor,” he said.

Note: Edited by Bryan Betts
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Personal note: I've been to Guam and Midway years ago. They will no doubt will
be early targets - so I hope our guys are ready for anything coming their way!
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