World

New US strategy foresees sensors in space to track missiles

17 of January 2019

FILE - This Dec. 10, 2018, file photo, provided by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA),shows the launch of the U.S. military's land-based Aegis missile defense testing system, that later intercepted an intermediate range ballistic missile, from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. The Trump administration will roll out a new strategy Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, for a more aggressive space-based missile defense system to protect against existing threats from North Korea and Iran and counter advanced weapon systems being developed by Russia and China. (Mark Wright/Missile Defense Agency via AP),FILE - This Dec. 10, 2018, file photo, provided by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA),shows the launch of the U.S. military's land-based Aegis missile defense testing system, that later intercepted an intermediate range ballistic missile, from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on the island of Kauai in Hawaii. The Trump administration will roll out a new strategy Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, for a more aggressive space-based missile defense system to protect against existing threats from North Korea and Iran and counter advanced weapon systems being developed by Russia and China. (Mark Wright/Missile Defense Agency via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is calling for expanding defense technologies in space to better protect the U.S.

A new strategy being unveiled Thursday at the Pentagon says a layer of sensors in space must quickly detect, track and ultimately defeat incoming missiles.

Details about the administration’s Missile Defense Review are expected to be released during President Donald Trump’s visit Thursday to the Pentagon with top members of his administration. It’s the first such review since 2010.

Recognizing the potential concerns surrounding any perceived weaponization of space, the strategy pushes for studies. No testing is mandated, and no final decisions have been made.

The new strategy is aimed at better defending the U.S. against potential adversaries who have been developing and fielding a much more expansive range of advanced offensive missiles.