THAAD, has supported numerous US deployments and has also protected Israel, Romania and South Korea
by Kris Osborn, President Warrior
The Pentagon’s Theater High Altitude Area Defense ballistic missile defense system is one of DoD’s most deployed and operational systems, as it is shown to be extremely effective and critical to protection and deterrence in key parts of the world.
The system, called THAAD, has supported numerous US deployments and has also protected Israel, Romania and South Korea. While originating as an Army program, THAAD has in more recent years transitioned to the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency.
Although the system has been in use for many years, THAAD’s was first used in combat in early 2022 when UAE sources told defense news the system destroyed a Houthi attack on an oil facility, according to a Defense News essay.
“The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense System, made by Lockheed Martin, took out the midrange ballistic missile used to attack an Emirati oil facility near Al-Dhafra Air Base, according to two sources granted anonymity because they are not authorized to speak about the UAE’s activities. The Emirati base hosts U.S. and French forces,” Defense News says.
The THAAD system uses radar, fire control and a kinetic energy interceptor to track and destroy incoming short and intermediate ballistic missiles in what’s called the “terminal” phase when they descend toward their target. The terminal phase is the final portion of a missile’s trajectory when it is closer to strike its target and can be more easily targeted. Significantly, the weapon uses a non-explosive kinetic energy warhead which simply relies upon the speed and impact of an intercept collision and does not require an explosive.
Surprisingly, THAAD is not in Japan or Taiwan for various strategic and tactical reasons, however the missile battery does defend the US territory of Guam. Japan reportedly decided to use the established Aegis Ashore System, a land-fired variant of the US Navy’s ship-operated Aegis Combat System.
Aegis Ashore
Aegis is a proven ship-integrated combat system and has in more recent years been developed and deployed as a land-based missile defense system in Romania and Poland. Aegis Ashore works in a similar fashion to at-sea Aegis, meaning it uses advanced radar to track incoming ballistic missiles and fires an SM-3 to intercept threats. The concept of Aegis Ashore is to provide a continental envelope of protection to key portions of the European continent. This is particularly relevant in light of the prospect of medium-range ballistic missile threats from Iran and Russia to areas across Europe.
Deter China
As the US and its allies continue to expand and strengthen deterrence efforts in the Pacific, it would seem to make sense for the Pentagon to consider deploying THAAD in Japan, Taiwan or even the Philippines. Should THAAD emerge in these locations, it could help contribute to an envelope of protection across key areas of the region vulnerable to Chinese ballistic missile attacks. The People’s Liberation Army - Rocket force is known to possess a large amount of ballistic missiles, and most public wargame assessments posit that any attack on Taiwan would likely begin with a “salvo” of incoming ballistic missiles.
It would seem that the best way to modernize and improve the operational effectiveness of THAAD might be to ensure it is well networked with other sensors, radar systems and protective nodes throughout the region. Perhaps THAAD could be configured to share data with Aegis Ashore systems and key nodes built into the Army’s Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS). IBCS is an integrated system of radar, sensor and interceptor technologies engineered to share data across a broad network of “nodes.” IBCS has also expanded in testing to incorporate airborne nodes such as an F-35 operating as a sensor and even US Navy ship-based Aegis Radar Systems. It would therefore appear to make strategic and tactical sense for the Pentagon to consider adding THAAD as a key node within IBCS as it would add depth, range and kinetic intercept options to a growing multi-domain network of missile defense nodes.
Kris Osborn is President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University