Commentary: It’s time to get homeland missile defense right – By Patty-Jane Geller (Defense News) / January 4 2021
Restoring our eroding edge when it comes to military technology won’t be easy or cheap. As Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, has emphasized, the United States must invest in “innovative concept development, advanced technology and new capabilities.”
One smart investment that meets these criteria within the missile defense arena is the Next Generation Interceptor, or NGI, for which the Pentagon intends to award first contracts in the next few months.
The stringent briefing and notification requirements for NGI included in the language of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act reflect the importance that Congress ascribes to this program. NGI makes a distinct break with past efforts on homeland missile defense by favoring long-term engineering rigor over short-term, off-the-shelf solutions. It also prioritizes capability over capacity to develop a truly advanced interceptor.
When the United States first deployed our current Ground-based Interceptors, or GBI, they were developed in haste. The rogue nuclear missile threat had become apparent, prompting President George W. Bush in 2002 to order the development of a homeland defense system “at the earliest possible date.” They were fielded by 2004.
