Pentagon budget 2022: Missile Defense Agency budget ticks lower at USD8.9 billion
by Daniel Wasserbly
The White House’s proposed budget for the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) continues a slow downward trend for the agency, with USD8.917 billion requested in fiscal year 2022 (FY 2022).
MDA had budgeted for USD9.187 billion in FY 2021, USD9.431 billion in FY 2020, and USD10.491 billion in FY 2019.
The FY 2022 request, which is likely to be somewhat altered by lawmakers who must then pass it in both congressional chambers before the president enacts it, includes USD1.733 billion for the Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) system that is designed to defend against limited long-range attacks from states such as North Korea. It has also requested USD926.1 million to begin a Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) to augment the system’s older strategic interceptors.
Pentagon budget 2022: MDA seeks USD1.733 billion for strategic missile defence programme
by Daniel Wasserbly
The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is requesting about USD1.733 billion in fiscal year 2022 (FY 2022) to improve its strategic missile defence system, including USD926.1 million to develop a new interceptor.
MDA had requested USD1.9 billion in FY 2021 to improve its Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) homeland missile defence system, which included USD664.1 million to kick off a Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) programme after a similar effort was cancelled in 2019.
Improving the GMD system has been a top priority for MDA, but the effort suffered a major setback after a new kill vehicle programme was terminated. (MDA)
Pentagon budget 2022: Aegis Ashore requests USD43.2 million, Polish construction delays continue
by Daniel Wasserbly
The US Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA’s) Aegis Ashore missile interceptor system is slated to receive USD43.2 million in fiscal year 2022 (FY 2022) to develop improvements, support operations in Romania, and finish construction at a site in Poland.
MDA said in FY 2022 it would “continue High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse Combat System hardening in Romania”, and that a long-delayed Aegis Ashore site in Poland is expected to be available by 2022 – at least three years late due to construction delays.
Construction is over 90% complete in Poland, MDA’s director for operations Michelle Atkinson told reporters on 28 May.