The US is planning to vastly expand the Homeland Missile Defense system despite warnings that the planned improvements are likely to do little against a limited-scale ballistic missile attack.  The planned upgrades will total roughly $10.2 billion over 10 years, which is an addition to the already $40 billion spent on the system.

Two $1 billion radar installations are to be built and an additional 20 rocket interceptors are to be added to the arsenal of the existing 44 rockets already deployed at Ft. Greely in Alaska and Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.  The interceptors are designed to destroy incoming ballistic missiles and the radar systems, which will be accompanied by the launching of new satellites, are to help guide the interceptor’s “kill vehicle,” the part of the rocket that crashes into the incoming missile.

The Trump administration cites the growing threat from North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile program as a reason for the expansion.