Record of decision for Guam missile defense system due for release in August amid unresolved challenges
- Admin
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 4 hours ago
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
The record of decision for the enhanced integrated air and missile defense system being developed by the Missile Defense Agency for Guam will be released in August, amid the remaining creases that the Department of Defense needs to iron out.
“So we appreciate the community's participation in the environmental impact statement development for that,” Rear Adm. Brent DeVore, outgoing commander of the Joint Region Marianas, said in a press briefing Tuesday.
“So we're continuing to progress toward the final version of that impact statement, and then it'll be concluded with a record of decision in August.”
The $1.5 billion proposed missile defense architecture, which includes
multiple mobile components to be deployed in 16 proposed locations throughout Guam, is touted to provide a 360-degree protection against the rapidly evolving threats from China and North Korea.
“We've enjoyed support by the U.S. Army through the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense capability that the Army has provided for the better part of 10 years here on island,” DeVore said.
“But we've also got to acknowledge that that technology was from a period of time and that the capabilities and threats and missiles that we might need to defend the island against continue to advance. Just like our phones advance, just like our computers advance, we've got to look toward what the next generation needs to defend the island,” he added.
On Dec. 10, 2024, the MDA launched its first flight test, which military officials said was “part of a tactical training to hone skills, increase interoperability and improve communication and understanding between forces while also coordinating with civil authorities to train for a whole-of-government approach to crisis response.”
“That was a tremendous success,” DeVore said of the flight test. “That truly is rocket science in play, and we made really good progress there, so that work will continue.”
According to the draft environmental impact statement released in October last year, the proposed missile defense architecture includes a sensor, ground-based missile launchers, a fire control system, interceptors, and an Aegis Ashore command and control system.
The record of decision will identify the MDA’s selected course of action following the completion of the environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act. The public commenting period ended on Jan. 8.
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In a report released last week, the Government Accountability Office revealed that the U.S. military terminated work on the new AN/TPY-6 radar, one of seven key elements of the missile defense architecture,
based on a Jan. 7 memo issued by then-U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.
The memo instructed the MDA to prioritize remaining project development funds toward delivering “minimum viable Aegis C2 and datalink capabilities to enable Standard Missile 6 engagements off remote tracks from AN/TPY-2 and (lower tier air and missile defense sensor), over the Joint Track Management
Capability bridge."
Hicks also instructed the MDA to retain the single AN/TPY-6 panel currently on the island, along with all associated flight test equipment and maintain it in its current form as an experimental asset, with potential for development into future operational use.
“It really is just modernizing and stitching together some existing capabilities that already exist in the army, plus some new development," DeVore said.
"The hard part and the hard work is always the integration of those systems to get all the individual systems to talk to each other. So there is a lot of work going into that, marching towards what will be an August record decision.”
In its May 22 report, the GAO noted the still unresolved challenges facing the Pentagon.
“DOD lacks a strategy that outlines how and when responsibilities for operating
and sustaining (Guam defense system) elements will transfer to their lead organizations,” the report said.
“The Army does not have a long-term strategy for integrating with the other military services in Guam to coordinate Army construction and installation support needed to support GDS and personnel."
At the press briefing, DeVore explained that while the MDA was the technology builder, the U.S. Army “will take the majority role” in Guam’s defense, and the 94th Air and Missile Defense Command in Hawaii will have the “oversight execution.”
“Then you get into a much larger question. What will be the Air Force's role looking at the entire region and how do you defend against missile threats and air threats?" he said.
"The Air Force will certainly play a role in that as you continue on the upper echelon. That's part of the joint force. We stitch elements from each service together, and someone will ultimately be put in charge.”
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