CRS Report: Potential stockpile concerns if IM-SHORAD not used long-term

The Army's Initial Maneuver Short-Range Air Defense system is considered a short-term solution for the service and a Congressional Research Service report stated that may be an issue for lawmakers.

"If the Army eventually opts to not adopt IM-SHORAD as the long-term solution for maneuver force air defense, what are the Army's subsequent plans for this potentially $1 billion plus program?" the July 18 CRS report -- originally obtained by Secrecy News -- inquires. "Would this capability be realigned to protect other Army assets, inactivated and placed in storage, or would it be made available to other countries under Foreign Military Sales?"

The Army requested $17 million for IM-SHORAD in fiscal year 2019, $72.2 million in FY-20, $443 million in FY-22 and $291 million in FY-23.

The report also outlines other potential concerns, such as the weapon system's mobility, capabilities of the missiles equipped and limited capabilities in tracking and engaging air threats.

IM-SHORAD is the Army's solution to an issue with gaps found in the service's anti-air capabilities. It uses the chassis of the Stryker Combat vehicle and is equipped with Hellfire and Stinger missiles.

According to the report, in 2005, the dedicated air defense artillery of the service was reduced. In 2015 the National Commission to the Future of the Army report noted that the modernization efforts for SHORAD had "unacceptable. . . shortfalls."

"Those major shortfalls caused other concerns across a wide range of contingencies, including in Europe and the Korean peninsula," the CRS report stated.