A Race Against Time to Protect Against Hypersonic Threats #hypersonicmissile #guam

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Chapters:
Guam's Missile Defense System - 0:00
A New Shield for Guam - 0:38
The Looming Threat and the Need for Action - 2:06
Conclusion - 3:10

The island of Guam, known as the US military's "tip of the spear" in the Indo-Pacific, finds itself in an increasingly tense geopolitical climate, faced with mounting missile threats from potential adversaries. As a protective measure, the Guam Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense System is on the horizon, promising a comprehensive, persistent, and 360-degree defense against all types of missile threats, including hypersonic ones. However, the project's slow pace of development and its later than ideal deployment date have stirred concerns amongst missile defense experts.

A New Shield for Guam.
The Enhanced Integrated Air and Missile Defense System represents a significant joint effort between multiple Defense Department agencies. Its design promises a defense shield for the US island territory, complete with the ability to neutralize ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles. The project cost remains undisclosed, but a Pentagon request for $1.5 billion for Guam's defense against China's missile threats suggests the magnitude of the undertaking. It is set to incorporate the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System and the Navy’s Aegis Combat System, with the latter currently deployed on Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyers. However, the Aegis system, while effective in its own right, is limited in its ability to intercept hypersonic missiles during a narrow window in the final phase of flight. Thus, the imminent deployment of the Aegis systems, although necessary, only represents an immediate solution to Guam's security needs. Hypersonic missiles, capable of speeds exceeding Mach 5, pose a formidable challenge. With the ability to have predictable or maneuverable flight paths, coupled with their high speed and low altitude trajectories, these weapons are extremely difficult to detect and counter. To face this threat, the Defense Department is developing a new "glide phase interceptor," intended to intercept hypersonic missiles during the longest portion of their flight, giving a much larger window for successful interception. But, this technology is not expected to be available until the early 2030s, posing a significant delay to Guam’s defense system upgrade.

The Looming Threat and the Need for Action.
Time is a luxury that the island of Guam cannot afford. In the eyes of experts like Tom Karako, a missile defense analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the United States needs this technology "this decade". This urgency stems from the unpredictable nature of the threats faced by the island, particularly those from China. Riki Ellison, the founder of the Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, points out that Guam's defense is currently limited to "what works today". While waiting for the latest technology might seem like the ideal course, it could mean leaving the island exposed for too long. This becomes an even more pressing issue when considering the potential for conflict escalation involving China and Taiwan. Guam, home to major military installations such as Naval Base Guam, Andersen Air Force Base, and the new Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz, is of strategic importance to the US due to its proximity to the South China Sea, North Korea, and China. While the island already has some defense capabilities, like the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, the need for comprehensive missile defense is clear.

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