Cramer, Sullivan Introduce Legislation to Strengthen U.S. Missile Defense Capabilities

PARCS Radar in Cavalier Central to the Mission

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - Missile defense plays a key role in deterring and defeating adversary ballistic missiles and other threats against the United States, its allies, and American military forces overseas. In January, President Donald Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) to build an Iron Dome for America, similar to Israel's Iron Dome. The EO directs the implementation of a "next-generation missile defense shield for the United States against ballistic, hypersonic, advanced cruise missiles, and other next-generation aerial attacks."

U.S. Senator Kevin Cramer (R-ND), chair of the Senate Armed Services (SASC) Airland Subcommittee and co-chair of the Defense Modernization Caucus, joined U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK), a fellow SASC member, in introducing the Increasing Response Options and Deterrence of Missile Engagements (IRON DOME) Act today. The legislation will improve the missile defense capabilities of the United States.

Among other provisions, the bill requires the acceleration of the modernization and digitization of the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization System (PARCS), located at North Dakota's Cavalier Space Force Station. PARCS is a single-faced, multi-function, UHF-Band, phased-array radar system which tracks over half of all earth-orbiting objects. The modernization of PARCS improves detection of intercontinental and sea-launched missile threats, as well as improve space domain awareness capabilities.

"Now more than ever, we have to ensure the United States is properly equipped to address the pressing threats that are posed by our very capable adversaries," said Cramer. "Protecting the homeland is obviously our first Constitutional duty. The IRON DOME Act forces modernization of our missile defense systems from Alaska to North Dakota to Maine to Florida to California and back up to Alaska. This will ensure that we're never caught off guard from a modern missile attack on our homeland."

"For decades, American missile defense strategy has focused on protecting our country from ballistic missile threats posed by rogue nations or accidental launches from a peer nation," said Sullivan. "We've made significant progress in recent years to strengthen this capability, notably through the implementation of my bipartisan 2017 Advancing America's Missile Defense Act. But the proliferation of new hypersonic and cruise missile threats from our adversaries demands that we change this paradigm. Senator Cramer and I are introducing legislation to build a homeland missile defense system that can protect our country from the intensifying threats and growing arsenals of China and Russia. The IRON DOME Act dovetails with and reinforces President Trump's historic 'Iron Dome for America' EO and builds upon a number of the recommendations from the 2022 Missile Defense Review. Specifically, our legislation invests billions of dollars to develop new capabilities, like space-based sensors and new intercept technologies, significantly expand and modernize existing infrastructure, like the ground-based missile interceptor fields at Alaska's Fort Greely and North Dakota's PARCS radar system, and integrate all aspects of U.S. missile defense, including Aegis. I urge my colleagues to join us in this initiative to meet the evolving missile threats on the horizon and deliver greater security for all Americans."

Click here for bill text.