The Pentagon's No. 2 civilian has approved for operational use the first batch of manufactured Standard Missile-3 Block IIA interceptors, setting the stage for the Missile Defense Agency to issue a technical declaration of improved defenses against Iranian threats for U.S. forces in Europe and NATO allies. On May 28, Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks notified Congress of plans to repurpose for deployment 11 SM-3 Block IIA ballistic missile interceptors originally purchased for research and development activities. Without this waiver,...
