The Missile Defense Agency is eying the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense system to shoot down enemy long-range ballistic missile during the boost-phase of flight, a technically challenging gambit to add a new defensive layer against North Korean threats and reduce exclusive reliance on the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system to protect the United States. MDA has identified a new project -- "Aegis Launch During Boost" -- to kickoff in fiscal year 2019. The Pentagon, however, did not fund the proposed effort...
