REPUBLICAN HOUSE ARMED SERVICES MEMBERS WRITE TO APPROPRIATORS REQUESTING ROBUST MISSILE DEFENSE FUNDING

Washington, DC- Friday, Congressman Mo Brooks (AL-05) and Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (NY-21), joined by seven Republican House Armed Services Committee colleagues, sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee chairwoman and ranking member requesting more funding for missile defense than was requested in President Joe Biden's budget.

Click HERE to view the letter.

Letter cosigners: Congressman Matt Gaetz (FL-01), Congressman Mike Turner (OH-10), Congressman Scott DesJarlais (TN-04), Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02), Congressman Jerry Carl (AL-01), Congressman Mike Waltz (FL-06), Congressman Doug Lamborn (CO-05).

Congressman Brooks said, 'America's national security hinges on our ability to defend against missile and rocket attacks from our adversaries. My House Armed Services Committee colleagues and I were extremely disappointed to see President Joe Biden's $8.9 billion budget request for Fiscal Year 2022 fall short of the $10.5 billion enacted in Fiscal Year 2021. If we don't robustly support missile defense programs, America will be less prepared to defend itself against attack and rogue nations might attempt to exploit missile defense weaknesses. America must never allow our adversaries to mistakenly believe they can defeat us. We must adequately fund our nation's most effective and vital deterrents.'

'President Biden's proposed budget fails to fully invest in the Department of Defense's missile defense weapons systems to ensure we keep pace with our adversaries' rapidly developing missile capabilities,' said Congresswoman Stefanik. 'Without robust support, the Department will be unable to sustain critical requirements necessary to protect Americans from increasing missile threats. As the chief advocate for Fort Drum and the 10th Mountain Division, I have long fought for federal support for missile defense systems and was proud to secure Fort Drum as the preferred site for an East Coast Missile Defense facility. I will continue to work with my House colleagues and urge the Biden Administration to fully fund our military and defense programs.'

Full text of the letter follows:

June 11, 2021

The Honorable Betty McCollum The Honorable Ken Calvert

Chairwoman Ranking Member

House Appropriations Committee House Appropriations Committee

Defense Subcommittee Defense Subcommittee

H-405, Capitol H-405, Capitol

Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chair McCollum and Ranking Member Calvert:

The United States military's ability to deter and defend against missile and rocket attacks by our adversaries is one of its most critical missions. Our military services and combatant commands work around the clock every day to track and defend against potential threats to the United States, our allies, and U.S. forces located throughout the world. Robustly funding the Department of Defense's tactical and strategic missile defense weapon systems are essential to ensuring we maintain our ability to protect Americans from missile threats. It is for these reasons why we're disappointed to see the Administration's $8.9 billion request for Fiscal Year 2022 fell well short of the $10.5 billion enacted in Fiscal Year 2021.

Rogue states, including the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Islamic Republic of Iran, have been working diligently, and in tandem, to rapidly develop capabilities that are on track to outpace our ability to defend the homeland. North Korea, to complement a nascent nuclear stockpile, has tested increasingly sophisticated ballistic missiles capable of hitting any target in the continental United States. And while the Islamic Republic of Iran has yet to develop and field a ballistic missile capable of hitting the United States, they are well on their way to being able to achieve that stated goal. Not only has the Iranian regime worked on missile development with North Korea, but the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has led the charge in Iran's space rocket program and continues to develop various road mobile launchers that could be used for offensive rocket launches. Simply put, the United States faces perhaps the most challenging and multifaceted missile and rocket threat environment in history.

We are encouraged by the recent decision by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks to award contracts for the development of the Missile Defense Agency's Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) to replace our aging Ground-Based Interceptors (GBI) in Fort Greely, Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The NGI and its improved capabilities to defend against more sophisticated missile threats is a critical step forward in establishing a homeland missile defense fit for the 21st century. Given the pace of the evolving threat from rogue nations, it is essential that the NGI program is adequately funded in order to meet or exceed its current schedule. As Commander of USNORTHCOM General Glen D. Vanherck noted in a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this year:

'The key thing is to maintain the timeline of no later than 2028 for NGI, to ensure that we maintain capacity and capability to defend against a ballistic missile threat.'

Additionally, to adequately defend against an advanced ICBM-level threat, it is imperative to have radars with sophisticated discrimination capabilities. For this reason, we request full funding of the Long Range Discrimination Radar and that the Committee fully fund the USINDOPACOM funding request for Homeland Defense Radar-Hawaii (HDR-H). With the high-fidelity data HDR-H would provide, we will be better able to effectively track and defend against an incoming missile threat.

Other vital components of our missile defense system architecture include the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system, and Patriot Advanced Capability-3 system. These systems have been the backbone of regional and tactical missile defense for decades and continue to prove themselves to be extremely capable. We would also be remiss if we failed to note that these systems have recently proved to be capable of defending against an ICBM-level threat.

It is not only rogue nations that are rapidly developing new missile capabilities: China and Russia continue to heavily invest in their arsenals. We are particularly concerned about China's ambitions in the Pacific, and strongly support the fielding of the Guam Defense System. As you know, the February 2021 report to Congress from the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, mandated by Section 1251 of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (P.L.116-283), stated that:

'The most important action the U.S. can take to increase the Joint Force's lethality is to introduce a 360-degree persistent and integrated air defense capability in Guam (Guam Defense System (GDS)). Guam is our most crucial operating location in the western Pacific and its defense remains USINDOPACOM's number one unfunded priority.'

Fully funding the Guam Defense System as requested by Admiral John C. Aquilino in the USINDOPACOM FY2022 Unfunded Priority List will provide a desperately needed missile defense capability at the speed of relevance. Guam is home to over 160,000 U.S. citizens and is absolutely essential for logistics, sustainment, and power projection needs. In our view, continuing to delay fielding this capability, or fielding a different capability that is unable to provide the level of coverage needed to protect Guam, significantly undercuts our ability to deter malign behavior in the Indo-Pacific and threatens our ability to successfully execute any military operations in the near future, should deterrence fail.

Therefore, we respectfully request that the Subcommittee on Defense provide full funding for vital missile defense programs, including:

• Full funding for development of the Next Generation Interceptor program with two industry teams through Critical Design Review (CDR);

• Full funding for Hypersonic & Ballistic Tracking Space Sensor (HBTSS), Space-based Kill Assessment (SKA), and Space Tracking and Surveillance System (STTS);

• Full funding for development, procurement, and advance procurement of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system;

• Full funding for procurement of at least eight SM-3 Block IIA missiles;

• Full funding for development of the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) system;

• Full funding for development and procurement of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system;

• Full funding for the Long Rage Discrimination Radar (LRDR);

• Full funding of USINDOPACOM's unfunded request for the Homeland Defense Radar - Hawaii (HDR-H); and

• Full funding of USINDOPACOM's unfunded request to provide 360-degree persistent and integrated air defense capability in Guam.

We thank you for your consideration of this request and look forward to working with you throughout the Fiscal Year 2022 cycle.

Sincerely,

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