4 February 2015
Change of Direction
Missile Defense Advisory Alliance

Yesterday, the Missile Defense Agency presented its FY 2016 Budget Request. The $8.127 billion request is a notable increase from the $7.46 billion request of FY15, and includes a significant portion to enhance, modernize and make more effective our Nation’s Homeland Missile Defense capability. Over $3.141 Billion will be going towards that priority. It is good news that the total 2015 budget funding lines for the United States Homeland Missile Defense finally matches the Administration’s 2010 Ballistic Missile Defense Review policy, which stated that U.S. Homeland Missile Defense is the number one priority.

MDA Fiscal Year 2016 Budget Request Overview 

2010 Ballistic Missile Defense Review

Regional Missile Defense has taken some of the brunt for additional funding for the homeland, but it is continues to move forward in increasing capability with funding for the Aegis Ashore Site in Poland for Phase 3 of the European Phased Adaptive Approach, more SM-3 and THAAD regional interceptors, as well as continuing to modernize the U.S. Navy’s Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Fleet.

Future technologies retain a smaller investment from the overall Missile defense budget as it paves development into vital new innovations that will allow the United States to stay ahead of the ballistic missile threat. These efforts include

• Space sensor integration
• Development of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle to track, discriminate, and potentially destroy enemy missiles
• Research for a Common Kill Vehicle, capable of deploying multiple kill vehicles from a single booster

The Missile Defense Agency’s FY 2016 budget request is the highest in three years, and represents a growing understanding by the Administration in the value of the existing BMD architecture to protect the United States Homeland and regions around the world. Although MDA’s budget has not attained a 2% share ($10.7 billion) of the overall Defense budget which we believe is required to provide adequate defense for our homeland and regionally, nor is it fully recovered to the historic highs before 2010, there is a change of direction.

Should Congress and the President fail to act to end sequestration, many of the most vital missile defense initiatives will likely be put on hold, or even cancelled.