The U.S. missile defense authority has requested an increase in related budgets to counter North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).
According to Radio Free Asia (RFA) on the 15th (local time), the US Missile Defense Agency requested about $3.1 billion from the US mainland missile defense system in relation to North Korea’s ICBMs in the fiscal year 2024 budget announced on the 13th.
According to reports, the same budget request last year was $2.6 billion. It requested an increase of $500 million or 19% in one year. Through this, it plans to provide resources and enhance capabilities to counter potential ballistic missiles in North Korea and Iran.
“North Korea is developing long-range ballistic missiles capable of reaching the US mainland and our allies in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Michelle Atkinson, director of operations at the Missile Defense Agency. “It has also been testing short-range ballistic missiles in the atmosphere.”
The total budget for fiscal year 2024 requested by the Missile Defense Agency, including responding to North Korean ICBMs, is $10.9 billion. This includes $3.3 billion in budget for the ground-based missile defense system (GMD), a multi-layered missile defense system in the United States.
$810 million was earmarked for the defense of Guam. Although Guam can be defended against North Korea’s ballistic missile threat with its current capabilities, the authorities’ assessment is that the regional threat, including China, is growing.
The budget for Aegis missile defense was calculated at $1.6 billion. In addition, in relation to hypersonic missiles, which are competing with China, $209 million was allocated to strengthen the glide phase intercept (GPI) capability, which is a defense area.
A budget of $2.1 billion was also included to develop a next-generation interceptor aimed at strengthening capabilities to intercept North Korean and Iranian ballistic missiles. In addition, budgets for missile defense system tests and long-range discrimination radar (LRDR) were also included.
In addition, $400 million earmarked for the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system was included in this budget.
“While North Korea and Iran present persistent threats, today’s defense strategy sees Russia as an extreme threat to US national security as a challenge to pursue China,” said Atkinson.
[워싱턴=뉴시스]
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.