In the next few weeks the Defense Department will deploy a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System (THAAD) ballistic missile defense system to Guam as a “precautionary move to strengthen our regional defense posture against the North Korean regional ballistic missile threat,” the Pentagon said yesterday.
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| Courtesy of Lockheed Martin |
The Army’s Alpha Battery, Fourth Air Defense Artillery (A-4 ADA) Regiment, based at Fort Bliss, Texas, is one of two THAAD units. The A-4 ADA Battery was activated at Ft. Bliss in May 2008, the second battery was activated in October 2009 (Defense Daily, May 29, 2008).
The THAAD system can intercept a threat target in the exo-or-endo-atmosphere. The system includes a truck-mounted launcher, interceptor missiles, an AN/TPY-2 tracking radar and an integrated fire control system.
The system, produced by Lockheed Martin [LMT], is part of the Missile Defense Agency’s Ballistic Missile Defense System to protect the United States and its allies from ballistic missiles. Raytheon [RTN] produces the AN/TPY-2 radar.
DoD expects the deployment to strengthen defense capabilities for Americans in the U.S. Territory of Guam and the deployed U.S. forces stationed there.
The THAAD movement is just one of the DoD’s moves to guard against the increased threats from North Korea. Yesterday, the North Korean army was quoted in the Hindustan Times as saying it had the approval to launch “merciless” strikes, perhaps including nucearl weapons on the United States,
In mid-March, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced the U.S. would team with Japan to deploy an additional AN/TPY-2 radar to Japan for improved early warning and tracking of any missile launched by the increasingly belligerent North Korean nation at the United States or Japan (Defense Daily, March 18).
In a statement yesterday, DoD said the United States continues to urge the North Korean leadership to cease provocative threats and choose the path of peace by complying with its international obligations. The United States remains vigilant in the face of North Korean provocations and stands ready to defend U.S. territory, our allies, and our national interests.