Inside The U.S. Missile Defense Agency’s Secret Next Generation Interceptor (From Forbes)

The Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency has issued solicitations for a future interceptor capable of defeating long-range nuclear warheads. It would replace the current ground-based interceptor that is part of the only defensive system the U.S. has for protecting the American homeland from North Korean missiles. The agency has said precious little in public about the planned weapon, but a discussion with multiple informed sources indicates it will be a hit-to-kill weapon with multiple kill mechanisms capable of fitting into underground silos that host the existing defensive system. The Missile Defense Agency wants it to cope with a wide array of potential threats that might materialize in the years ahead, and it wants the new system to be fielded fast to minimize any gap is capabilities during the transition to the next-generation system. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.