C2 systems: Missile shift - Obama's focus on new types of missiles raises C2 questions

摘要

Does the U.S. military have a missile defense command-and-control system in place to match the Obama administration's shift toward defending against shorter-range, maneuverable missiles for regional defense? Contractors, anti-missile experts and the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff say not yet. The vice chairman, Marine Corps Gen. James Cartwright, sparked the soul-searching during a speech earlier this year. U.S. missile defense strategy traditionally has focused on defending the continental United States, deployed American forces, allies and the territory of friendly nations. "The emphasis is going to start to shift to deployed forces, allies and friends," he told attendees at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics missile defense conference in March. It was a major shift. The Bush administration saw a surprise attack on Hawaii or the U.S. mainland by long-range ballistic missiles as the greatest of its threats. It rushed anti-missile rockets to Alaska and California, encircled North Korea with new radars, and tested the military's ability to rapidly fuse radar readings into targeting messages. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense System, which remains in place, is designed to knock down those long-range ballistic missiles.