The interception from Guam seeks to improve U.S. defense readiness by adding a layered missile defense system, the missile defense company said.
U.S. forces conducted a live interception of a ballistic missile target on December 10, the first ballistic missile defense engagement conducted from Guam.
Missile Protection Company (MDA), operating with a pair of security partners, introduced a Common Missile-3 Restraint IIA from the Aegis Guam machine at Andersen Wind Pressure Bottom and effectively neutralizing a medium-range ballistic missile target. Gave.
Rear Admiral Greg Huffman, commander of Joint Task Force-Micronesia, said the check gliding was “a significant milestone in the defense of Guam and the region.”
“It confirmed our ability to detect, track and engage a target missile in flight, increasing our readiness to defend against emerging adversary threats,” he said in a comment. “The success of the program is a testament to the incredible work of the team within both the DoD and the Government of Guam.”
MDA said the test provides important data to refine the Guam Protection Machine, an initiative to create a layered missile defense network.
Officials underlined its importance in validating joint characteristics and confirming the facility to detect and negotiate missile ultimatums headed toward Guam or the broader Indo-Pacific pocket.
“This is a tremendous collective effort and provides a glimpse of how Department of Defense organizations have come together to defend our homeland, Guam, now and in the future,” said Lt. Gen. Heath Collins, missile defense company director. “Collectively, we will use it to build and validate joint tracking architecture and integrated air and missile defense capabilities for Guam.”
Guam’s geographic location makes it a suitable location for airplanes and warships to repair and refuel during a potential war in the Indo-Pacific region. The island hosts the only submarine base in the western Pacific and the Anderson Wind Pressure Bottom provides critical runway areas for strategic bombers and adversaries.
Guam’s value as an American dimension to the United States and its allies could additionally make it a great target for adversaries to attack in a weeks-long war in the pocket.
The scheme for checks was licensed last October. As per MDA, additional assessments can be conducted up to twice as per occasion for a period of 10 years.
Moylan said one day that he was “very concerned” about Guam’s defensive position in the face of complex new guns being developed by the Chinese Communist regime’s military, noting that Guam is about 1,900 miles from the Chinese mainland.
Ryan Morgan and Steve Lance contributed to this record.