America’s missile and air defense status quo is not sustainable
In its April 13 attack against Israel, Iran launched a combined 170 drones, 120 ballistic missiles, and 30 cruise missiles. Israeli and allied defense systems intercepted and destroyed nearly all of these, resulting in zero casualties and minimal damage.
Although this is certainly a testament to the supremacy of Israeli and American missile defense capabilities, this is not sustainable. Experts now warn that Israel’s vaunted Iron Dome missile defense system risks being overwhelmed in the future by to the sheer volume of cheap Iranian-produced drones and missiles.
After Israel’s audacious and well executed strikes late last month, which eliminated top Hezbollah and Hamas commanders, the U.S. military once again deployed multiple fixed-wing and missile defense assets to bolster Israel’s ability to defend against what many surmised could be a retaliation by Iran and or Hezbollah.
The U.S. must take heed of the lessons learned in April, particularly the high cost of employing our aging, albeit effective, defense systems. Even though a second attack on the same scale as in April has not yet materialized, the U.S. and Israel must be prepared for any eventuality.
Consider that Iran’s six-hour offensive in April cost the Ayatollah’s regime some $35 million, while the cost of Israel's defense came to an estimated $550 million. That’s over 1,400 percent greater and already accounts for 2 percent of the Israel supplemental package passed in April.
Iran’s April offensive does not exist in a vacuum. As part of the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, U.S. forces have experienced 219 rocket and drone strikes in the last 9 months, including the attack at Tower 22 in Jordan, which claimed the lives of three U.S. servicemembers. In March 2024 alone, the U.S. Navy reported 28 Houthi-fired drones aimed at targets in the Red Sea, with further, more sophisticated attacks likely to happen in the future. Here, the average cost of a drone is $20,000-$30,000, whereas U.S. defensive assets cost on average $500,000 per shot.
The size of Iran’s missile and drone stockpiles, its partnerships with other U.S. adversaries such as Russia, and the Biden-Harris administration’s lingering policy of appeasement and lax sanction enforcement means that Iran has the capability to continue to launch many more attacks in the future.
But the U.S. would do well to take some lessons from the war in Ukraine, in which an already thinly stretched Ukrainian military has been forced to divert resources and personnel to countering Russian drone and missile barrages. This has decreased Ukraine's overall ability to maneuver defensively.
The same goes for Communist China’s posturing in the Indo-Pacific. China has been paying attention to how our air defense systems perform and has leaned hard into developing its missile attack systems and drone capabilities as a means to undermine U.S. advantages in the air and sea.
Importantly, the U.S. taxpayer can’t continue to foot the bill when there are innovative and far cheaper solutions out there. There are no silver bullet antidotes, but the Defense Department needs to be realistic when it comes to funding levels, the needs of troops on the ground and the current capacities of the U.S. industrial base.
When it comes to short-term solutions, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Congress should expand its focus on quickly fielding and evaluating new solutions such as our Directed Energy systems, which are currently in service in low numbers. We need to look at cheaper but effective kinetic solutions and work to produce those products at a greater scale. We need to ensure that our defense portfolio is varied, sustainable and dynamic.
Above all, it’s critical for the U.S. to leverage venture capitalists and rapid development agencies to innovate and produce cutting-edge air defense systems. We must reward those brave enough to take risks and make big dreams into reality at the speed of relevancy. This is the single biggest competitive advantage the U.S. has compared to our adversaries, now and in the future.
In the long term, the U.S. needs to take a close look at how we develop our weapons systems. We need to put a stop to over-bloated programs that have so far been deemed “too big to fail.” This will free up funding and resources to be put towards air defense systems that we know will work. This would also allow us to scale up our domestic industrial base and produce components for air defense systems in far greater quantities — a victory for American workers and our national security.
With each ongoing conflict, Congress and our defense establishment needs to ensure we have the right systems in place and in abundance. Cost-effective air defense systems to counter cheaper drones and missiles must be our No. 1 priority. After all, history makes clear that fighting tomorrow’s war with the equipment and methods of yesterday is not a sustainable recipe for success on the battlefield.
Rep. Pat Fallon (R) represents Texas’ 4th District. He is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability.
Date: |
Topics
-
The Wall Street Journal - World
A Massive Bel-Air Mansion Sells for Around $140 million
The seller paid $60 million for the unfinished house in 2012 and took on an extensive renovation2 hours ago -
CBS Sports - Sports
Heat to unveil Dwyane Wade statue outside arena in October; Rick Ross to perform during two-day celebration
The bronze statue will be unveiled a day before Miami plays Detroit on 'Dwyane Wade Statue Night'3 hours ago -
MarketWatch - Business
A Lumen executive talks AI, Verizon’s fiber deal — and meme-stock status
MarketWatch recently caught up with Lumen CFO Chris Stansbury, who discussed the opportunities ahead in AI and consumer fiber.4 hours ago -
Inc. - Business
Air-Taxi Maker Vertical Completes First Phase of Piloted Testing
The UK manufacturer has orders fromVirgin Atlantic, American Airlines and Japan Airlines.5 hours ago -
The Hill - Politics
Bridging America's divide: Understanding moral misconceptions
Research suggests that the perceived moral differences between Democrats and Republicans are a major factor in America's political divide, and addressing this misconception could help bridge the gap.5 hours ago -
Financial Times - Business
America has an innovation and incumbency problem
Politicians should be taking questions of R&D and corporate power much more seriously7 hours ago -
BBC News - Top stories
UK weather: Arctic air will give way to a warmer weekend
It has turned cold this week with ground frosts and snow over Scottish mountains - but higher temperatures are on the way.8 hours ago - United Kingdom -
CBS Sports - Sports
Fantasy football 2024 rankings: Top model's NFL Week 2 QB, WR, RB, TE, kicker, defense picks
SportsLine simulated the NFL schedule 10,000 times and revealed optimal Week 2 Fantasy football rankings8 hours ago - NFL -
CBS News - Top stories
Exploring the state of spirituality in America
In "The State of Spirituality" series, Lisa Ling examines the rising number of Americans leaving organized religion, while 70% still describe themselves as spiritual. In the first segment, two ...9 hours ago -
The Hill - Politics
America is over the 'Moms For Liberty' culture wars
Any way you look at it, the big Moms for Liberty event in Washington, D.C. on Labor Day weekend was a flop.9 hours ago
More from The Hill
-
The Hill - Politics
GOP senators warn against House-driven government shutdown
Senate Republicans are letting the air out on House Republican efforts to pump up a partisan standoff over federal funding, which they fear could risk an embarrassing government shutdown a few ...37 minutes ago -
The Hill - Politics
Trump proposes ending taxes on overtime pay
Former President Trump on Thursday called for ending taxes on overtime wages for individuals who work more than 40 hours a week, his latest proposal to slash individual taxes if he is reelected. ...50 minutes ago - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
Trump claims Haitian migrants ‘destroying’ way of life in Ohio city
Former President Trump on Thursday escalated his attacks on Haitian migrants in an Ohio city, days after he repeated a conspiracy on the debate stage that those migrants were eating pets. Trump ...1 hour ago - Donald Trump -
The Hill - Politics
Oil, gasoline prices face a slump
Click for the latest from The Hill {beacon} Energy & Environment Energy & Environment The Big Story Oil, gasoline prices face a slump This week, oil prices hit their lowest level in about three ...1 hour ago -
The Hill - Politics
Top AI leaders meet with White House officials
Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter {beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story Top AI leaders meet with White House officials Senior Biden administration officials met with key leaders ...1 hour ago