Missile Defense Strategic Stationing

This U.S. Army War College student author believes that a strategic stationing plan for existing THAAD and JLENS missile defense assets must be developed concurrent with acquisition of new air and missile defense capabilities. He argues:


---- Although the Army has conceptual plans and requirements for the development of new air and missile defense capabilities, specifically THAAD and JLENS, the Army has not defined a strategic employment / deployment plan to meet Combatant Commanders' demands.


---- Throughout the 1990s, the Army deployed PATRIOT task forces to Southwest Asia and South Korea with little overarching strategic planning balanced against competing and evolving demands for missile defense capabilities.


---- The constant deployments had an adverse impact on the AMD force from personnel, training, and operational readiness perspectives.


---- This caused the Army to reevaluate its employment plan to sustain operational demand without breaking the AMD force. The Army used the Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) model with 1:2 dwell time as means to sustain operational commitments.


---- Combatant Commanders' immediate demand for THAAD and JLENS, as they come off the production lines and lack of a clear stationing plan, could lead to a repeat of these 1990's challenges.