The latest annual Government Accountability Office (GAP) review on missile defense acquisition progress showed more details about the new defensive plans for Guam including the specific command and control systems that will be used.
Last year, MDA announced the architecture
it decided on to defend Guam from air and missile threats will include mobile unit versions of the Aegis Combat System, Raytheon Technologies [RTX] Standard Missile (SM)-3 and SM-6 missiles, and the Northrop Grumman [NOC] IBCS while also maintaining the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system battery already deployed on Guam (Defense Daily, March 29, 2022).
MDA Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill earlier this year said the ‘first string” of radars, interceptors, launchers and a command and control system will arrive on the island in 2024.
He noted the Guam architecture will have a combination of Aegis and the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS), with the Aegis element different from the two Aegis Ashore systems in Europe. Eventually, IBCS will connect to the Raytheon Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) and Sentinel radars (Defense Daily, March 20).
Hill at that time also said the first set of Guam systems will include four new mobile AN/TPY-6 radars that use the same technology as in the Long Range Discrimination Radar (LRDR) at Clear Space Force Base, Alaska.
The GAO report noted Guam’s current missile defense requirements are starting from today to protect “against simple ballistic threats from rogue states,” with only a single THAAD battery and an Aegis ship equipped with the Aegis Ballistic missile Defense system added on an “as-needed basis.”
However, the new requirements for the expanding system aim to also defend against near-peer threats like China, with a focus on 360-degree layered coverage.
GAO noted the Guam defense systems are expected to include new Army missile launchers, M903 Army launchers and Army Indirect Fires Protection Capability (IFPC) Multi-Mission Launchers.
The sensors will include MDA-provided SPY-6 Homeland Defense Radar-Guam systems, Army LTAMDS, Army Sentinel A4, and the Army Long-Range Persistent Surveillance (ALPS) system.
GAO said the combined expected capabilities of the sensors will include 360 degree coverage of acquisition, track and discrimination for various missile threats.
Notably, the report revealed the command and control systems will specifically include an Aegis Guam system provided by the MDA and Navy; MDA’s Command and Control, Battle Management and Communications (C2BMC) system; the Army’s IBCS; Army’s Integrated Fires Communication Network (IFCN) Relays and the Army’s Lockheed Martin [LMT] Remote Interceptor Guidance (RIG)-360.
GAO said these combined capabilities are expected to cover weapons and radar command and control and decision; overhead and sensor data and situational awareness provided to warfighters and weapon systems; and sensor, battle and communications management.
The report reiterated what Hill has previously said: that adding these systems to Guam include challenges due both to limited available land and agreements with the local government that the missile defense components should not affect adjacent land being used for tourism and living purposes.
“For example, electromagnetic radiation from radars should not interfere with the surrounding air space and properties should be a sufficient distance away or barriers provided in the event of ordnance explosion. Officials noted environmental and cultural concerns are being considered, and the agency is involved in ongoing environmental impact studies.”
Moreover, Guam is also a high risk for seismic activity and typhoons, which are being factored into military construction design considerations, the report said.
GAO listed the MDA Guam defense timeline according to its analysis of MDA’s data. This includes a mid-2023 system requirements review, early 2024 preliminary design review to establish allocated baselines and preliminary designs, late 2024 critical design review to establish baselines and enter system implementation and integration, late 2024 to early 2025 initial capability deployment, and early 2025 completion of the environmental impact statement.
In 2027 DoD plans to complete an integrated command center with activation of enhanced integrated air and missile defense (IAMD) capability followed by tentative plans in 2029 for activation of integrated battle management capability with IAMD. However, GAO noted the 2029 event is not baselined yet and will not occur before the first quarter of FY 2029.
GAO noted MDA plans to conduct “multiple developmental and operational tests” between these major milestones, but no specific test schedule has been disclosed yet.
The report noted DoD is still assessing whether a single agency or service should serve as the lead for the Guam defense mission and coordinate delivering capabilities, but there is no indication when such a decision might be made.
MDA’s fiscal year 2024 budget request includes $801 million to start building up the Guam architecture (Defense Daily, March 14).