Offense–Defense Integration for Missile Defeat

A central theme of the 2019 Missile Defense Review is the desirability of integrating offensive forces with active and passive defenses. But what would the realization of such a comprehensive and integrated approach look like, and what would it require? Despite broad and sustained interest, little progress has been made in the actual integration of offenses with air and missile defenses, or even clearly elucidating and defining the concept. Thorough implementation of offense-defense integration for countering missile threats would touch almost every aspect of the U.S. military, including policy, doctrine, organization, training, materiel, and personnel. While desirable, complete integration down to the tactical level will be technically and operationally difficult to achieve. Even where possible, its realization will be neither rapid nor easy.

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