US lawmakers have introduced a Bill to Congress which seeks to designate more funding to the nation’s space-based ballistic missile defence (BMD) capability in a bide “to neutralise threats”.
They hope the additional funding will be used develop a space-based sensor layer to detect incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) – which have recently been tested by North Korea and Russia.
They are also said to want to develop an interceptor to neutralise threats.
The US’ fiscal year 2018 Appropriations Bill states that the intercept layer has to achieve operational capability “at the earliest practicable date”.
The appropriations measure states that the US Missile Defence Agency would have the job of producing “a highly reliable and cost-effective” sensor architecture capable of “precision tracking of threat missiles,” “discrimination of warheads” and “effective kill assessments”.
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Actionable steps for the plan would have to be introduced within a year of the bill’s enactment, it has been reported.
The new structure would also be required to fully integrate with existing BMD layers.
The existing BMD layers are the Patriot missile defence, the Terminal High Altitude Area Defence system (THAAD) and the sea-based Aegis system.
The news has come after Donald Trump earlier this year scrapped a NASA plan to change the course of earth-bound asteroids potentially averting an extinction level catastrophe.
Four more space programs, largely collecting and analysing climate data, were also axed by President Trump earlier this year.
Under a temporary funding measure, the US Government is only funded until December 8.
A failure to sign the fiscal appropriations measures into law by December will lead to the US Government being shut down.
In 2013, while Barrack Obama was President, there was a Government shutdown after Republicans refused to accept a temporary funding measure unless the then-president agreed to delay his healthcare reforms.
The Republicans refused to comply on the approval needed for raising the amount of money the Treasury can borrow to pay US bills, raising the danger of a catastrophic default.
Mr Obama vowed repeatedly not to pay a “ransom” in order to get Congress to pass normally routine legislation.
Uncertainty over the 16-day crisis and the US debt ceiling hit the economy and confidence in US assets.