Missile defense

New Army missile-defense chief faces pressure to deploy and modernize

The new Army Space and Missile Defense Command chief -- now a month into his job -- is seeking a way to balance near-constant air-and-missile defense force deployments and engaging in major modernization efforts.

High operational demand, especially of Patriot air-and-missile defense units, has put stress on the force and affected current and future readiness as well as modernization initiatives, Lt. Gen. James Dickinson said at the Association of the U.S. Army's missile defense forum on Feb. 7. Over 50 percent of the AMD force is either forward-stationed or deployed, making these units some of the most highly used in the entire Army.