Future Outlook

The Critical Measurements and Countermeasures program collects radar and optical data for ballistic missile defense discrimination capabilities development.
  • The Laboratory will have a large role in characterizing the capabilities and limitations of the recent initial operational deployment of the Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) and in helping to develop, refine, and verify tactics, techniques, and procedures to optimize performance. The Laboratory will also be actively engaged in the analysis, development, testing, and implementation of capabilities for the BMDS beyond the initial deployment. Areas of particular focus will be system-wide tracking and discrimination, system-level testing, and advanced counter-countermeasures techniques.
  • The Laboratory will be working with Missile Defense Agency, NORTHCOM/NORAD, and STRATCOM to define architectures for the defense of the U.S. homeland against asymmetric attacks by cruise missiles or short-range ballistic missiles launched from ships off the U.S. coast. An initial prototyping effort is being examined for the National Capital Region as an extension of the Enhanced Regional Situation Awareness system currently in place to provide a defensive capability against these threats.

 

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