With an eye toward the use of precision-guided missiles in the conflict in Ukraine, the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee plans to ask the Pentagon to reassess whether it needs more of the systems that can shoot them down.
The U.S. currently has 15 Patriot batteries, high-end missile defense systems capable of stopping incoming barrages as well as hostile aircraft. The recent $40 billion in Ukraine aid included funding for components for a 16th battery, but some committee members still question whether the U.S. might need more, a committee aide said, speaking on background ahead of Wednesday’s markup of the panel’s portion of the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act.
“Ukraine has been a good example of the critical importance that integrated air missile defense plays in a conflict,” the aide said.
