The United States does not have the defenses to keep up with new Russian and Chinese advances in cruise missile technology, a new report claims.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, examined U.S. missile defense capabilities, finding them severely lacking. The report, titled “North America is a Region, Too: An Integrated, Phased, and Affordable Approach to Air and Missile Defense for the Homeland,” found that due to a focus by the United States on defense from ballistic missiles, which have a high trajectory and predictable flight path, the country has neglected to create a proper defense network against low-flying cruise missiles.
RUSSIA TO PLACE NUCLEAR-CAPABLE MISSILES IN BELARUS
“The current system of command and control, though staffed by highly dedicated U.S. and Canadian military personnel, employs 1990s-era technology and uses 1960s-era decision processes … Besides a near complete lack of mission integration, there are almost no purpose-built defenses against low-altitude cruise missile threats,” the CSIS authors wrote in their report, as reported by Foreign Policy.
CSIS proposes a 20-year plan that would invest $33 billion in new long-range sensor and radar technology. These would be backed up by fighter jets and anti-missile interceptor systems, all scattered across the mainland.
The new report echoes increasing concerns by leading U.S. officials to develop better defenses against newer cruise missile technology, in light of their proven effectiveness in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Cruise missiles fly at a low altitude, below missile defense sensors meant to detect high-altitude ballistic missiles, and at a relatively low speed, making it difficult to distinguish them from domestic aircraft, according to the Scientific American.
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Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command, responsible for protecting the U.S. and Canada from missile attacks, warned last month that Russia possesses the technology to hit U.S. cities from Russian airspace. He also claimed that China will have the same capabilities within five to 10 years.
