Washington, April 28 (ANI): Senior Pentagon officials have warned that existing U.S. defense systems are insufficient to counter advanced missile threats from countries such as China and Russia, acknowledging significant vulnerabilities in homeland defense.
Testifying before lawmakers on Monday, U.S. defense and military officials said current systems are designed primarily to counter limited, small-scale attacks and offer little to no protection against hypersonic or long-range cruise missiles.
The officials highlighted the growing threat posed by adversaries developing “non-ballistic” weapons, including hypersonic and advanced cruise missiles capable of evading traditional defense systems.
Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy Marc J. Berkowitz told a Senate panel that the current system was never intended to address such threats.
“We have a very limited, ground-based, single-layer homeland defense system that was specifically designed against a small-scale rogue attack,” Berkowitz said. “We have very limited capability against other ballistic missile threats, and we have no defense against hypersonic weapons or cruise missiles today.”
The testimony comes as the Trump administration seeks support for a proposed $175 billion to $185 billion missile defense initiative known as the “Golden Dome,” a multi-layered system intended to provide comprehensive protection across the United States.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to present the broader $1.5 trillion Pentagon budget request to a Senate Armed Services subcommittee later this week, with the missile defense proposal a central component.
The Golden Dome concept includes space-based sensors, ground-based interceptors, artificial intelligence-driven command systems, and emerging technologies such as directed-energy weapons. The system is designed to counter a wide range of threats, including drones, cruise missiles, hypersonic weapons, and ballistic missiles.
U.S. Space Force Gen. Michael A. Guetlein, who is overseeing the program, said the strategic environment has shifted significantly.
“For the first time in a generation, our nation’s margin of safety has vanished,” Guetlein said. “Today, the homeland is exposed and relatively undefended.”
Officials aim to achieve initial operational capability by 2028, though challenges remain, including funding and industrial capacity.
Lt. Gen. Heath A. Collins, director of the Missile Defense Agency, said years of underinvestment have created what he described as a “capacity debt,” limiting the ability to produce sufficient interceptors and sustain prolonged defense operations. He warned that supply chains will take time to expand.
Lawmakers also raised concerns about the proposed funding mechanism. Senator Angus King criticized the potential use of budget reconciliation, arguing it could limit congressional oversight of a project with a projected cost of up to $300 billion.
Pentagon officials defended the approach, saying it would enable faster decision-making in response to rapidly evolving threats.
The hearing also sparked a broader debate on deterrence strategy. Lawmakers questioned why a large-scale missile shield is necessary when Cold War-era deterrence relied on mutual vulnerability.
Defense officials responded that the current security environment is more complex, involving multiple nuclear-armed adversaries and rapidly advancing technologies, requiring a combination of deterrence and active defense.
China was repeatedly identified as the primary strategic competitor, with officials warning that its expanding missile capabilities, along with advances in cyber and electronic warfare, pose increasing risks to U.S. infrastructure and security.
Alongside the proposed Golden Dome system, the United States continues to enhance existing layered defenses, including naval platforms such as Arleigh Burke-class destroyers equipped with the Aegis Combat System, as well as land-based systems like THAAD and Patriot missile defenses.
Officials said the combined approach is aimed at strengthening homeland defense while reinforcing deterrence in key regions, particularly the Indo-Pacific. (ANI)
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