Download or read book Joint Theater Missile Defense Strategy: Some Operational Considerations written by and published by . This book was released on 1994 with total page 17 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Theater ballistic missile defenses were used operationally for the first time during Operation Desert Storm in response to Iraqi Scud missile attacks against Saudi Arabia and Israel. At that time, since no joint doctrine for Theater Missile Defense (TMD) employment existed, the Commander in Chief decided what would be protected and how best to employ limited TMD assets. It became apparent rather soon in the conflict that TMD was a joint mission. Not only were Army Patriot missiles employed on the ground, but Air Force fighters flew thousands of sorties in search and attack operations against mobile Scud launchers, Air Force Defense Support Program (DSP) satellites provided important warning and cueing information, and Navy Aegis-equipped ships also tracked the flight of enemy ballistic missiles. The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of theater ballistic missile defense in U.S. theater, or operational, strategy. At the time of this writing, there exists in draft form a "Doctrine for Joint Theater Missile Defense," which attempts to set forth doctrine governing joint TMD activities; consequently, much attention is paid to this draft document in this analysis. What this essay tries to do is go one step beyond doctrine to examine the considerations necessary for employing TMD during the various operational phases of conflict. While focusing primarily on the operational level, some background is presented on the role of TMD in U.S. National Military Strategy. As defined in Draft Joint Pub 3-01.5, JTMD is composed of four integrated operations. Also in the same document, the term "Theater Missile" is applied to ballistic missiles, air-to-surface missiles, and air-, land-, and sea-launched cruise missiles whose targets are within a given theater of operation. This paper deals exclusively with the ballistic missile threat. Moreover, the analysis focuses primarily on the active defense component of joint TMD operations.