Why The Pentagon’s Ground-Based Midcourse Defense System Needs To Be Upgraded And Expanded (From Forbes)

North Korea is expected to increase the size and sophistication of its nuclear arsenal in the years ahead, including its weapons capable of hitting America. The Trump Administration was planning to upgrade the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system in response; GMD is the only Pentagon program currently capable of intercepting North Korean warheads aimed at the U.S. However, former Pentagon tech chief Michael Griffin derailed key upgrades and decided to pursue an all-new interceptor, raising the prospect of a prolonged period when U.S. defenses might not be able to cope with Pyongyang’s moves. Congress was not impressed, and this summer Griffin resigned. The Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency is now discussing a renewal of the GMD upgrade program, which is a necessary step until something better comes along. I have written a commentary for Forbes here.