The U.S. military did everything in its power to defend Guam

Anti-missile system deployed to Rota Island. Image credit: United States Army

Comprehensive compilation of Yuan Ye

Guam plays a vital role in the U.S. Asia-Pacific strategy, and how to keep the island alive in the face of long-range firepower has made the U.S. military painstaking. Recently, Vice Admiral Jon Hill, the head of the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA), disclosed to the US media the latest progress of the Guam air defense and anti-missile system upgrade plan. The MDA is said to be stepping up its work with the U.S. Army and Navy to turn the island into a stronger fortress around 2026.

Establish a multi-layered anti-aircraft firepower network

In an interview with the U.S. Defense News website, Hill said Guam faces "evolving threats," including increasingly advanced ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and hypersonic weapons, and even strikes from space that can project long-range firepower from multiple different types of platforms.

"If you look at the FY2023 budget, you'll see that there's something the MDA is responsible for, namely ballistic missile defense capabilities and hypersonic missile defense capabilities." Hill said the U.S. Army brought two sets of cruise missile defense systems, "and there's a crossover of what they can do." "The MDA's immediate priority is to integrate various defense systems into the same command system, and on this basis to conduct command and combat management. Hill confidently declared, "Technically and operationally, we feel good about where things are headed." ”

However, the MDA chief acknowledged that the details of Guam's defense system, including interceptor missiles, sensors, command and control nodes, and the exact number and combination of other components, have not been conclusively determined.

According to Defense News, Guam's current missile defense capabilities are quite limited, mainly provided by the terminal high-altitude area defense system, the THAAD system, and can only intercept ballistic missiles in the re-entry stage. Another force equipped with the Israeli-made Iron Dome system was temporarily deployed on the island for testing and evaluation purposes.

THAAD is currently managed by the MDA, and the troops and equipment nominally belong to the U.S. Army. The latter was undecided about which missile defense system to purchase, first buying two sets of "Iron Domes", then canceling the contract, and instead buying the "Enduring Shield" system developed by the American company Dynetics, which used the AIM-9X Sidewinder missile.

The MDA has also considered technologies derived from the U.S. Navy, such as the deployment of a land-based Aegis position on the island and the use of Standard-3 and Standard-6 missiles against incoming medium- and long-range surface-to-surface missiles. However, the United States has not publicly discussed the possibility of deploying the most powerful land-based mid-section defense system (GMD) on Guam.

To counter the growing popularity of hypersonic weapons, the MDA hopes to develop a gliding phase interceptor (GPI), which will eventually emerge from two major industrial giants, Raytheon and Northrop Grumman. In addition, MDA is working with the U.S. Space Force to put hypersonic ballistic tracking space sensors (HBTSS) into orbit in fiscal year 2023. "This is the first step in tracking down a mobile threat on a global scale," Hill said. ”

When faced with cruise missiles, the MDA may use the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS). The U.S. Army is equipped with the system to protect the airspace in washington, D.C., and nearby. The U.S. Army and Air Force have been trying to improve NASAMS's ability to counter cruise missiles, envisioning "pairing" it with other anti-cruise missile systems, including a 155mm self-propelled howitzer that fires ultra-high-speed projectiles.

The aforementioned "Enduring Shield" system has the opportunity to replace the imported "Iron Dome" as a new choice for Guam's cruise missile defense system. It can also deal with lower-level air threats, such as drones.

Various radars will be launched on the island one after another

In addition to a wide variety of interceptor missiles, a wide variety of sensors, such as the AN/TPY-2 radar used by the THAAD system, will also be an important part of Guam's defense system. Hill said the Guam garrison will receive updated radars such as the AN/SPY-7(V)1 Long-Range Identification Radar (LRDR) and its derivatives. The first LRDR installed in a fixed location has been put into service in Alaska.

Command and control facilities and network capabilities are equally important. The MDA has built a network of sensors, and given the U.S. Army's heavy involvement in Guam's air defense and missile defense efforts, the Army's conceived Integrated Air Defense and Missile Defense Operational Command System (IBCS) could be incorporated into the final defense network.

According to the analysis of the US "Theater" website, Guam must rely on the overall defense posture of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. Palau is located about 1,300 kilometers southwest of Guam, and the United States began to consider deploying a multi-purpose radar in the archipelagic country. Congress has also called for a new homeland defense radar in Hawaii, but the Pentagon has shown little interest.

Given the inherent influx of maneuverability and deployment flexibility in land-based systems, U.S. Navy ships, particularly the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, remain an important pillar of Guam's anti-missile shield. The U.S. Navy's Ticonderoga-class cruisers also have anti-missile capabilities, but the ship will be retired in the coming years.

In recent years, the US military has tried to include more countries in the Pacific region in the "circle of anti-missile circles." From August 8 to 14, the U.S. Navy held the "Pacific Dragon" missile defense exercise, in which ships from South Korea, Japan, Australia and Canada participated. For the first time, this year's exercise used the "Standard" -3Block IA anti-missile interceptor, firing live ammunition at short-range ballistic missile targets and hitting them.

In fact, the U.S. military is well aware of Guam's vulnerability. Even if efforts are made to improve its defense capabilities, the island's survivability will remain in jeopardy once the United States confronts other military powers. The United States is building a new air base on the nearby overseas territory of Tinian Island as a "spare tire" for Guam.

The biggest challenge is "site selection"

Earlier this year, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Air Force, in partnership with guam's National Guard, deployed the THAAD launcher on Rota Island, part of the Northern Mariana Islands, about 64 kilometers northeast of Guam, and successfully conducted a long-range launch test using data from sensors deployed in Guam.

This seemingly snake-like approach hints at the biggest problem that the US military must face to "fortify" Guam: in this land of projectiles, it is difficult to find a suitable place to deploy so much anti-aircraft and anti-missile equipment.

"Space on the island is very limited." Jon Hill admits, "We know the sensor size and installation needs we need, and we know where missiles can be deployed and where they can't ... This has been a constraint. ”

According to a report on the US "Defense One" website, in mid-August, the MDA ended the second "site selection summit" of the new system. "My team was there for a few weeks, meeting with key leaders in Hawaii and Guam, and walking through every candidate location." "The final result has not yet been finalized," Hill said. ”

Various environmental factors, including topographical issues, can determine the success or failure of an overall plan. "The threat is constantly evolving... That's what we're doing — working very hard with the Army and the Navy. Hill said.

The U.S. military's "small goal" is to increase defense facilities on Guam starting in 2026. The Pentagon described this milestone earlier this year as 2028, but institutions represented by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in the United States, believe that such a plan is too conservative and leaves little time for the US military.

Source: China Youth Daily client