DoD needs near-term, ‘persistent’ INDOPACOM hypersonic missile tracking: CSIS

DoD needs near-term, ‘persistent’ INDOPACOM hypersonic missile tracking: CSIS
DoD needs near-term, ‘persistent’ INDOPACOM hypersonic missile tracking: CSIS

“The key word here is persistence,” study author Masao Dahlgren told Breaking Defense. “How do we get persistence over the regions we care about? That hasn’t been as explicitly put into prior work until now. This report puts into sharp relief.”

Sweden ‘beefing up’ military presence in Arctic to counter Russian threat

Sweden ‘beefing up’ military presence in Arctic to counter Russian threat
Sweden ‘beefing up’ military presence in Arctic to counter Russian threat

“We’re cognizant of the fact Russia is retaking a lot of positions that they used to have in the Arctic,” said Pål Jonson, Sweden’s defense minister. “There is a degree of militarization…and we have to respond to that.”

Glide Phase Interceptor for hypersonic defense about to enter ‘hardware phase’: MDA director

Glide Phase Interceptor for hypersonic defense about to enter ‘hardware phase’: MDA director
Glide Phase Interceptor for hypersonic defense about to enter ‘hardware phase’: MDA director

“We’re ready to transition over to technology development,” MDA Director Vice Adm. Jon Hill told the Center for Strategic and International Studies today.

Space Policy chief warns against ‘ridiculous’ testing aversion for new missile interceptor

Space Policy chief warns against ‘ridiculous’ testing aversion for new missile interceptor
Space Policy chief warns against ‘ridiculous’ testing aversion for new missile interceptor

“I would say the United States should prove to ourselves that we can shoot something down before we buy more of a thing,” said DoD Assistant Secretary for Space Policy John Plumb. “So, fly before you buy, if fly includes shooting a missile down to prove that it works.”

Cold War space arms race is back, with more racers, new studies find

Cold War space arms race is back, with more racers, new studies find
Cold War space arms race is back, with more racers, new studies find

One of the most worrisome trends reported by the Secure World Foundation and Center for Strategic and International Studies is the increase in the number of countries seeking to develop counterspace capabilities.

China’s SJ-21 ‘tugs’ dead satellite out of GEO belt: Trackers

China’s SJ-21 ‘tugs’ dead satellite out of GEO belt: Trackers
China’s SJ-21 ‘tugs’ dead satellite out of GEO belt: Trackers

“I think there are more questions than answers right now when it comes to SJ-21,” Todd Harrison, director of CSIS’s Aerospace Project, told Breaking Defense.

JADC2 will fail without central DoD authority: Study

JADC2 will fail without central DoD authority: Study
JADC2 will fail without central DoD authority: Study

The similarities of the failed DoD push in the early 2000s to implement “network-centric warfare” to the evolution of today’s JADC2 effort are striking and ominous, the CSIS study shows.

Exclusive: UK Pushes New UN Accord On Military Space Norms

Exclusive: UK Pushes New UN Accord On Military Space Norms
Exclusive: UK Pushes New UN Accord On Military Space Norms

The US intends to support the British effort.

Allies, No-Strings Vaccines, Human Rights, Open Seas: SecDef In Singapore

Allies, No-Strings Vaccines, Human Rights, Open Seas: SecDef In Singapore
Allies, No-Strings Vaccines, Human Rights, Open Seas: SecDef In Singapore

“Unfortunately, Beijing’s unwillingness to resolve disputes peacefully and respect the rule of law isn’t just occurring on the water. We have also seen aggression against India… destabilizing military activity and other forms of coercion against the people of Taiwan… and genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang,” Secretary Austin said.

MDA Sees EW, Cyber For Future Missile Defense

MDA Sees EW, Cyber For Future Missile Defense
MDA Sees EW, Cyber For Future Missile Defense

“The future will be a mix of kinetic and non-kinetic. It will be a mix of hard kill and soft kill, because of where the threat is going to. The threat will drive us to do something different,” says Vice Adm. Jon Hill, who heads the Missile Defense Agency.

Long Range Strike Hot Potato Now In OSD Hands

Long Range Strike Hot Potato Now In OSD Hands
Long Range Strike Hot Potato Now In OSD Hands

“It’s ultimately a political decision, and … this demands a strong and fully staffed OSD,” said Mackenzie Eaglen, of the American Enterprise Institute. “That doesn’t seem likely until much later this year.”

Counterspace 2020: All (Pretty) Quiet On The ASAT Front

Counterspace 2020: All (Pretty) Quiet On The ASAT Front
Counterspace 2020: All (Pretty) Quiet On The ASAT Front

“From the evidence we have available, it sure looks like Russia is a bigger counterspace threat than China, which is contrary to a lot of the public discussion that focuses almost entirely on China,” said SWF’s Brian Weeden.

US Needs Better Space Defenses, Including Weapons: CSIS

US Needs Better Space Defenses, Including Weapons: CSIS
US Needs Better Space Defenses, Including Weapons: CSIS

“This issue of classification and the challenge it presents to public discussion is … part of the reason why we wrote this report. There’s nothing in the public domain like this,” says CSIS’s Kaitlyn Johnson.

AFRL Pushes Laser “SHiELD” Flight Test Back, Again

AFRL Pushes Laser “SHiELD” Flight Test Back, Again
AFRL Pushes Laser “SHiELD” Flight Test Back, Again

CSIS’s Todd Harrison said he believes that  the “many challenges” to the SHiELD concept can be overcome “with time and money” —  and could well be worth expending because of the potential benefits.