Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order to pursue a "next-generation" missile defense shield against threats of potential advanced foreign aerial attacks in a major security effort that also seeks to enhance defense of allied territories, troops, and populations. On Monday, Trump signed the order to build an "Iron Dome" for America, calling on the Pentagon chief to submit plans for the crafting of an advanced defense system within 60 days of the order's issuance, highlighting the threats posed by ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and other advanced aerial attacks.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the Iron Dome is originally an Israeli air defense architecture intended to intercept hostile short-range rockets and artillery shells. However, in this order, Trump appears to use the name in reference to a comprehensive missile defense system to defend the continental United States, its forward-deployed troops, and allies. "Over the past 40 years, rather than lessening, the threat from next-generation strategic weapons has become more intense and complex with the development by peer and near-peer adversaries of next-generation delivery systems and their own homeland integrated air and missile defense capabilities," the White House stated.
Under the order, the defense secretary is required to submit a series of plans, including those for the development and deployment of space-based interceptors capable of boost-phase interception, and of capabilities to defeat missile attacks in pre-launch and boost phases. The boost phase is a segment of a ballistic missile flight trajectory during which the booster and sustainer engines run until it reaches top velocity.
The order also reaffirms that the U.S. will continue to cooperate on missile defense with its allies and partners to aid in the defense of allied populations and troops, and of forward-deployed U.S. troops. It calls on the defense secretary to direct a review of missile defense posture and initiatives to identify ways in which the U.S., and its allies and partners, can increase cooperation on missile defense technology development, capabilities, and operations.
Additionally, the order emphasizes exploring ways to improve theater missile defense of forward-deployed U.S. troops and allied territories, troops, and populations, and for increasing and accelerating the provision of U.S. missile defense capabilities to allies and partners. Some observers have raised the possibility that the U.S. government would consider deploying additional missile defense assets to South Korea, including the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, better known as THAAD.
The order was issued amidst growing concerns from South Korea and Japan regarding missile defense due to threats from North Korea, which has been intensifying its nuclear and ballistic missile programs through relentless weapons tests, including that of a hypersonic missile.