In many cases, events have escalated rapidly and led to armed conflict. We must remember that history has shown time and time again how geopolitical issues can quickly alter the relationships between nations. While a peaceful resolution is always the desirable outcome, it is regrettably not the path always taken. Ideally, our world leaders will have the skills to avoid such conflict in the future. To many, this may seem unlikely ever to occur. Several nations already have the ability to strike the United States with ballistic missiles, including China and Russia. As a nation we must not forget that systems like GMD protect us from the potential future threats we could have no way of predicting. The world is a far more complicated place, however, and other threats may be on the horizon. Recent events, such as the killing of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, keep our focus on terrorism.
In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. With the Cold War relegated to the history books and anti-terrorism efforts the current focus, this may seem like a waste of resources. The projected cost through 2017 was estimated to be over $40 billion. In more recent years (FY16), the National Defense Authorization Act allowed for $1.8 billion for continued development of GMD and related components. Image: Senior Airman Clayton Wearīoeing is the prime contractor for the program and in 2008 the company was awarded a contract for $397.9 million to further develop GMD. A test of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system at Vandenberg Air Force Base, March 25, 2019. Tests have shown it to be an effective platform to protect the country from a potential ballistic missile threat. The system has been tested to be very accurate. Finally the interceptor collides with the ballistic missile, destroying it. The target is acquired, and the interceptor moves along a collision course with the missile. The monitoring assets refine the trajectory of the hostile ballistic missile and in-flight updates are sent to the interceptor. At this point, an interceptor is launched from either California or Alaska at the incoming missile. The ballistic missile is monitored and tracked by several assets: Aegis SPY-1 radar, sea-based X-band radar and upgraded early warning radar/Cobra Dane radar. Networks of infrared sensors in space detect the launch, and a command and control network is notified. First, a ballistic missile is launched from somewhere in the world with a target in the United States. The anatomy of a GMD interception is as follows. These systems are emplaced at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, and Fort Greely, Alaska. According to the Missile Defense Agency, there are currently 44 interceptors enabled. Their purpose is to intercept incoming ballistic missiles in space. Ground-based Interceptors and Ground Support & Fire Control Systems are the main components of the system. One such resource is Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD).įor those unfamiliar with GMD, it is a major element of the United States’ missile defense strategy. With close to two decades of conflict focused on terrorism, one might start to question the resources dedicated to protection from more traditional threats such as adversarial foreign powers. Engagements around the world, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, have been the focus of the country’s offensive and defensive military efforts abroad. Since 2001 the War on Terror has dominated modern warfare for the United States.