Integrated Air and Missile Defense: Guest Editor’s Introduction

Abstract

It has been nearly 18 years since the publication of the three Johns Hopkins APL Technical Digest issues dedicated to air defense. Since that time, many global events have shaped our national defense strategy and military capabilities. Just after the release of the second air defense issue, the 9/11 attacks occurred, followed by the global war on terror. The cost of this war, along with the financial crisis in 2008, strained the national defense budget. Even after recent budget increases, we still face many challenges. China’s economic rise has enabled its military buildup. North Korea has increased its development of nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles. Instability in the Middle East, and the procurement of advanced weapons by our adversaries, presents significant concerns and challenges to our nation and allies. To meet these many new challenges, the Air and Missile Defense Sector of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) has focused its efforts on the integration of air defense and missile defense as well as of defense resources across the battle force. This issue highlights the challenges our nation faces in air and missile defense and APL’s contributions to shape future solutions.