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The South Pacific Ballistic Missile Defence System is a missile defense system being organised by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN), and United States Navy (USN) in several member states and based in the Oceania area. Plans for this system are based on jointly released white papers between the Australian and New Zealand defence forces.
Background[edit]
Recent advancements in the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defence System, including increased capabilities with Aegis Baseline 10, made the concept of an Oceania-wide BMD system feasible. The Aegis Combat System already integrated on Australian Hobart-class Guided Missile Destroyers is able to track a ballistic missile target, discriminate it from decoys, and calculate a firing solution in under 10 seconds. Such rapid advancements in BMD engage has made ballistic missile defence an achievable goal for nations with comparatively smaller defence budgets.
A missile defense feasibility study was launched after the 2022 Melbourne Summit. The South Pacific Consultation, Command and Control Agency and NATO's Conference of National Armaments Directors (CNAD) were also involved in negotiations. The study concluded that missile defense is technically feasible, and it provided a technical basis for ongoing political and military discussions regarding the desirability of an Australian missile defense system. The United States negotiated with Australia and New Zealand over the course of several months after on the deployment of interceptor missiles and a radar tracking system in the two countries. Both countries' governments indicated that they would allow the deployment.
In August 2022, the Australian and New Zealand defence forces called for an Oceania missile defense system which would complement the American national missile defense system to protect strategic positions and population centers from missile attacks.
During the 2023 Adelaide Summit, the countries further discussed the technical details as well as the political and military implications of the proposed elements of an indigenously produced missile defense system in the Pacific. Allied leaders recognized that the planned deployment of Australian-based US missile defense assets would help protect many Allies, and agreed that this capability should be an integral part of any future NATO-wide missile defense architecture. In August 2023, Australia and the United States signed a preliminary deal to place part of the missile defense shield in Darwin that would be linked to sea-based radars based on Hobart-class Air Warfare Destroyers.
Active Layered Theater Ballistic Missile Defense[edit]
On 2 September 2023, U.S. President Joe Biden announced that the planned deployment of long-range missile defense interceptors and equipment in Australia and Indonesia was not to go forward, and that a defense against short- and medium-range missiles using Aegis warships would be deployed instead
- Phase One (in the 2024/2025 timeframe) – Deploy current and proven missile defense systems available in the next two years, including the sea-based Aegis Weapon System, the Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) interceptor (Block IA), and sensors such as the forward-based Army Navy/Transportable Radar Surveillance system (AN/TPY-2), to address regional ballistic missile threats to Australia and our deployed personnel and their families;
- Phase Two (in the 2028 timeframe) – After appropriate testing, deploy a more capable version of the SM-3 interceptor (Block IB) in both sea- and land-based configurations, and more advanced sensors, to expand the defended area against short- and medium-range missile threats;
- Phase Three (in the 2030 timeframe) – After development and testing are complete, deploy the more advanced SM-3 Block IIA variant under development, to counter short-, medium-, and intermediate-range missile threats; and
- Phase Four (in the 2035 timeframe) – After development and testing are complete, deploy the SM-3 Block IIB to help better cope with medium- and intermediate-range missiles and the potential future ICBM threat to the Pacific.
The deployment of American Arleigh Burke-class Destroyers equipped with the Aegis RIM-161 SM-3 missile are to begin in March 2024. These missiles complement the Patriot missile systems already deployed by Australian units, as well as the Australian Hobart-class Destroyers.
Deployment[edit]
The program envisions the continuous at-sea deployment of ten or more Aegis-equipped vessels, including;
- At least two Australian Hobart-class Guided-Missile Destroyers
- At least five Australian Hunter-class Guided-Missile Frigates
- At least two New Zealand Christchurch-class Guided-Missile Frigates
- At least one United States Flight III Arleigh Burke-class Guided-Missile Destroyer