House panel seeks details on Guam defense

House lawmakers are proposing legislation that would ratchet up demands for information from the Defense Department on a new 360-degree air and missile defense system for Guam.

The House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee is proposing a provision in its mark of the fiscal year 2022 defense authorization bill requiring the Pentagon to provide an architecture and acquisition strategy for any proposed Guam defense system, according to a congressional source.

The FY-21 National Defense Authorization Act required the Defense Department to conduct "a study on the defense of Guam from integrated air and missile threats, including such threats from ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles."

"Last year, we asked them to give us a report; this year, we're telling them to tell us what the actual architecture is going to be," said a congressional source, who added that the draft legislation also mandates details about the acquisition strategy.

DOD officials say they are currently finalizing a report for lawmakers that proposes such an architecture. The House Appropriations Committee, frustrated with lack of detail about the project, cut funding for the effort from the Pentagon's FY-22 proposal.