Angus King Questions DoD Official on Viability of Missile Deterrence Strategies

Viability of Deterrence by Denial

• 🎯 Senator Angus King questioned the feasibility of 'deterrence by denial' given current technology and costs, specifically against threats from Russia or China.
• 💡 The Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, Andrea Yaffe, explained that deterrence by denial aims to signal to adversaries that they may not achieve their objectives.
• ⚠️ Yaffe acknowledged that the U.S. currently lacks a homeland missile defense system capable of guarding against major adversaries like Russia and China, focusing primarily on threats from North Korea or rogue states.

Scaling Missile Defense for Major Threats

• 📈 King raised concerns about the significant scaling up required for a missile defense system to realistically deter China and Russia, given their advanced capabilities and large nuclear stockpiles.
• 💰 The economic viability of current interceptors, costing approximately $60 million each, was questioned in the context of potentially needing to counter hundreds or thousands of missiles from major adversaries.

Future Technologies and Layered Defense

• 🚀 The Department of Defense is exploring the development of an integrated air and missile defense system for the homeland, leveraging new technologies.
• ⚡ Directed energy is highlighted as a promising technology to potentially change the cost curve of missile defense, with a much lower cost per shot compared to traditional interceptors.
• 🛰️ The strategy involves a layered approach, aiming for multiple engagements on a missile throughout its trajectory: boost phase, midcourse phase, and terminal phase.
• 🔬 Current focus is on the midcourse phase, but there's a desire to develop capabilities for the boost phase and a layered defense for the terminal phase.

Strategic Importance of Undersea Environment

• 🌊 King emphasized the critical need for better sensors and awareness in the seabed and undersea environment for homeland defense.
• 🇷🇺 It was confirmed that Russia is significantly building up its military infrastructure on its Arctic Ocean shores, underscoring the importance of this area.