The Defense of Guam: Forcing Function for the Future of Air and Missile Defense

Abstract: The development and fielding of air and missile defense efforts for Guam represents the signature provision of the Biden administration's 2022 Missile Defense Review. It will also be one of the most difficult and expensive. The threat of complex and integrated attack from a near peer employing a broad spectrum of air and missile threats is substantial. Such an attack could comprise include UAS, cruise and ballistic missiles, hypersonic weapons of various kinds, backed up by numerous other means and across various domains. Realizing and implementing an effective defense sufficient to support U.S. deterrence and defense goals will be a significant challenge. In some respects, the defense of Guam represents the perfect problem for integrating air and missile defenses, and how it is addressed will shape the future of the missile defense enterprise.

Bio: Thomas Karako is a senior fellow with the International Security Program and the director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), where he arrived in 2014. His research focuses on national security, missile defense, nuclear deterrence, and public law. In 2010–2011, he was an American Political Science Association congressional fellow, working with the professional staff of the House Armed Services Committee and the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces on U.S. strategic forces policy, nonproliferation, and NATO. Dr. Karako is also currently a fellow with the Institute for Politics and Strategy of Carnegie Mellon University. He received his PhD from Claremont Graduate University and his BA from the University of Dallas.