Lawmakers want Army to explore permanent THAAD battery in Hawaii

Members of the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee are calling on the Army secretary and Missile Defense Agency director to provide a briefing on the feasibility of permanently stationing the Terminal High Altitude Air Defense system in Hawaii.

The briefing, due by Sept. 15, would also address the technical capability, costs, benefits and risks of testing a THAAD interceptor against an intercontinental ballistic missile, according to the subcommittee's mark of the fiscal year 2019 defense authorization bill.

The mark notes the "high demand" for THAAD batteries and the "untested capability of the THAAD weapon system against long-range threats."

The subcommittee intends for the permanent battery to supplement Hawaii's missile defense, currently provided by Ground-based Interceptors at Ft. Greeley, AK, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, against threats from North Korea.

A demonstration of THAAD improvements at White Sands Missile Range, NM, this month cleared the Army to field a new software upgrade.