By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
The Missile Defense Agency has launched its first flight experiment mission from Andersen Air Force Base, firing off an interceptor that headed off a surrogate missile target more than 200 nautical miles off the coast of northeast Guam.
The MDA’s Aegis system experiment on Tuesday was the first in a series of missile defense tests on Guam, which would run twice a year for 10 years.
The flight test capped the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s warfighting capabilities exercise dubbed “Sling Stone,” which began on Dec. 4 and concluded on Dec. 10.
The MDA’s flight test was part of a tactical training “to hone skills, increase interoperability and improve communication and understanding between forces while also coordinating with civil authorities to train for a whole-of-government approach to crisis response,” according to a statement from IndoPacom.
The exercise used a standard missile-3 Blk IIA deployed from a vertical launch system at AAFB to intercept a surrogate medium-range ballistic missile target, which was air-launched from an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III.
“Simultaneously, the Navy’s Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Milius, operating off the coast of Guam, detected, tracked and simulated engagement of the missile, providing air defense coverage from the sea,” the Indo-Pacom said.
“I witnessed the first-ever testing and success of the missile defense system in Guam. It was indeed a moment of satisfaction to see all the hard work, science, data and technology come together for the defense of our island and our nation," Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said in a statement.
"Seeing the interceptor successfully launched and the target tracked and taken down was a great leap into the protection of our people. The system works," she added.
Held in conjunction with Joint Task Force-Micronesia, Sling Stone pooled assets and personnel from the Air Force, Army, Navy and allied forces to use the missile intercept for multi-domain training. Officials said the training validated the Guam defense system concept of operations.
“The success of Sling Stone is a testament to the incredible work our joint-service team does every day to maintain a strong defensive posture in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Navy Rear Adm. Greg Huffman, task force commander.
In response to escalating tensions and China’s aggressive behavior in the region, the Indo-Pacom plans to build a $1.5 billion missile defense architecture on Guam with multiple mobile components that will be installed across 16 sites on the island.
“Leveraging MDA’s missile intercept test to train how we fight just made sense. We will take lessons learned and continue to strengthen the architecture of Guam’s defense against evolving adversary missile threats,” Huffman said.
In Washington D.C., Guam Del. James Moylan said the U.S. Congress is poised to pass the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act in the coming days.
“Our office has continued to ensure that adequate funding is available for the
protection of our island and region,” he said. “Today’s test was a major step forward in our pursuit of 360-degree missile defense. The commitment to defending the homeland remains a top priority for me and my fellow Armed Services Committee members in Congress.”
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