The Government Accountability Office is urging the Missile Defense Agency to take key steps to ensure the efficiency of and reduce the risks to its development of the Next Generation Interceptor, a capability that will work to defend the U.S. against missile attacks.
Among the steps the MDA should take is to collaborate with stakeholders to monitor changes in the threat landscape and, if necessary, update the threat requirements of the NGI, GAO said in a report issued Wednesday. The threat requirements refer to the types of missiles the NGI should be capable of defeating.
GAO noted that the Department of Defense had already called on the MDA to take such actions following a 2022 review of the NGI program but the response has been limited.
Another step the MDA should take is to make sure the simulations it uses to evaluate the performance and maturation of the NGI is representative of the conditions in which the system will be used.
GAO also said the 2022 DOD review flagged the MDA for the same issue as well as for its limited response.
The DOD expects the NGI to begin fielding by 2028 and production to begin this year. GAO describes the timeline as “optimistic” but says the MDA acting on the office’s recommendations could help in its meeting the fielding deadline.
