119-s435

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 435 Introduced in Senate

    (IS) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
 S. 435

 To improve the missile defense capabilities of the United States, and 
 for other purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

 February 5, 2025

 Mr. Sullivan (for himself and Mr. Cramer) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Armed 
 Services

_______________________________________________________________________

 A BILL

 To improve the missile defense capabilities of the United States, and 
 for other purposes.

 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

 This Act may be cited as the ``Increasing Response Options and 
Deterrence of Missile Engagements Act of 2025'' or the ``IRONDOME Act 
of 2025''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS; SENSE OF THE SENATE.

    (a) 

=== Findings ===
-

    (1) Missile defense review.--Congress finds that the 2022 
 Missile Defense Review found the following:
        (A) Since the release of the 2019 Missile Defense 
 Review, missile-related threats have rapidly expanded 
 in quantity, diversity, and sophistication.
        (B) United States national security interests are 
 increasingly at risk from wide-ranging missile arsenals 
 that include offensive ballistic, cruise, and 
 hypersonic weapons.
            (C) In support of the homeland missile defense 
 mission, continued modernization and expansion of the 
 Ground-based Midcourse Defense

    (GMD) system will remain 
 an essential element of our comprehensive missile 
 defeat approach. In addition, the United States will 
 also continue to improve defensive capabilities to 
 address the threat of evolving cruise missile strikes 
 by any adversary against the homeland.
            (D) The continued evolution and progress of 
 missiles as a principal means by which adversaries seek 
 to project conventional or nuclear military power makes 
 missile defense a core deterrence-by-denial component 
 of an integrated deterrence strategy.
        (E) Missile defense capabilities add resilience and 
 undermine adversary confidence in missile use by 
 introducing doubt and uncertainty into strike planning 
 and execution, reducing the incentive to conduct small-
 scale coercive attacks, decreasing the probability of 
 attack success, and raising the threshold of conflict.

    (2) Congressional commission on the strategic posture of 
 the united states.--Congress finds that, in its October 2023 
 report, the Congressional Commission on the Strategic Posture 
 of the United States recommended the following:
        (A) The United States should develop and field 
 homeland integrated air and missile defense

    (IAMD) that 
 can deter and defeat coercive attacks by Russia and 
 China, and determine the capabilities needed to stay 
 ahead of the North Korean threat.
        (B) The Secretary of Defense should direct 
 research, development, test and evaluation into 
 advanced integrated air and missile defense 
 capabilities leveraging all domains, including land, 
 sea, air, and space. These activities should focus on 
 sensor architectures, integrated command and control, 
 interceptors, cruise and hypersonic missile defenses, 
 and area or point defenses. The Department of Defense 
 should urgently pursue deployment of any capabilities 
 that prove feasible.
            (C) The Secretary and the military departments 
 should transfer operations and sustainment 
 responsibility for missile defense to the appropriate 
 military departments by October 1, 2024, to allow the 
 Missile Defense Agency

    (MDA) to focus on research, 
 development, prototyping, and testing.

    (3) Commission on the national defense strategy.--Congress 
 finds the following:
        (A) In its July 2024 report, the Commission on the 
 National Defense Strategy found the following:
            (i) There is an increasing threat from 
 expanding ability of China, Russia, and North 
 Korea to deliver nuclear weapons against the 
 United States, including the territories of the 
 United States.
            (ii) The military planners of the 
 Department of Defense and United States 
 Northern Command need to prepare for a worst-
 case scenario in which nuclear and other 
 strikes are launched against the United States, 
 which could be done in large numbers with 
 specialized delivery systems.
        (B) In the report described in subparagraph
        (A) , 
 the Commission shared the same threat assessment about 
 missile attacks as the Commission on the Strategic 
 Posture of the United States and agreed with the 
 recommendation that the United States should enhance 
 missile defense for the homeland.

    (4) === Policy ===
-Congress finds that it is the policy of the 
 Federal Government that--
        (A) the Federal Government will provide for the 
 common defense of the citizens of the United States and 
 the United States by deploying and maintaining a next-
 generation missile defense shield;
        (B) the Federal Government will deter and defend 
 the citizens and critical infrastructure of the United 
 States against any foreign attack on the United States 
 homeland; and
            (C) the Federal Government will guarantee the 
 secure second-strike capability of the Federal 
 Government.

    (b) Sense of the Senate.--It is the sense of the Senate that--

    (1) the threat of attack by ballistic, cruise, and 
 hypersonic missiles remains a catastrophic threat facing the 
 United States and defense against it is a form of both national 
 security and border security;

    (2) China is rapidly expanding and modernizing its 
 conventional forces to include ballistic missile systems posing 
 an increasing threat to citizens, forces, and allies of the 
 United States;

    (3) over the past 40 years, rather than lessening, the 
 threat from next-generation strategic weapons, including 
 hypersonic, has become more complex with the development of 
 next-generation delivery systems by adversaries of the United 
 States;

    (4) notwithstanding this increasing threat, homeland 
 missile defense policy of the United States has been severely 
 limited to staying ahead of rogue nation threats and accidental 
 or unauthorized missile launches;

    (5) by empowering the United States with a second-strike 
 capability, the Iron Dome will deter adversaries from attacks 
 on the homeland;

    (6) the midcourse defense system is the primary system 
 capable of defending the United States homeland from long-range 
 ballistic missile threats and is critical to our national 
 security;

    (7) the Next Generation Interceptor is a top priority for 
 the Missile Defense Agency and a critical element to increasing 
 system reliability to build warfighter competence; and

    (8) the United States must gain and maintain total domain 
 awareness to provide early warning and defeat of missile 
 threats from both the northern and southern hemispheres and 
 from outer space.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

 In this Act:

    (1) Congressional defense committees.--The term 
 ``congressional defense committees'' has the meaning given such 
 term in 

section 101

    (a) of title 10, United States Code.

    (2) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary 
 of Defense.

SEC. 4. IMPROVING UNITED STATES MISSILE DEFENSE CAPABILITIES.

    (a) Plan for Transfer of Operations and Sustainment of Missile 
Defense to the Military Departments.--

    (1) Plan required.--Not later than 120 days after the date 
 of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
 Congress a multi-year phased plan to transfer operations and 
 sustainment responsibility for missile defense from the Missile 
 Defense Agency to the appropriate military departments to allow 
 the Missile Defense Agency to focus on research, development, 
 and prototyping and testing.

    (2) Execution of plan.--The Secretary shall execute the 
 plan submitted pursuant to paragraph

    (1) pursuant to a specific 
 authorization of such plan enacted after the date of the 
 enactment of this Act.

    (b) Middle-Tier Acquisition Program for Drone-Based Missile Threat 
Audio Detection System.--The Commander of United States Northern 
Command shall use a process for conducting a middle tier acquisition 
described in 

section 3602 of title 10, United States Code, as added by 

section 804 of the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and 
National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (Public Law 
118-159), for rapid fielding and prototyping of a drone-based network 
for both forward deployed armed forces and homeland defense capable of 
detecting through audio sensing technology the approach of advanced 
missiles, including advanced cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles.
            (c) Middle-Tier Acquisition Program for Proliferated Warfighter 
Space Architecture of Space Development Agency.--The Director of the 
Space Development Agency shall use a process for conducting a middle 
tier acquisition described in 

section 3602 of title 10, United States 
Code, as added by 

section 804 of the Servicemember Quality of Life 
Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 
(Public Law 118-159), for rapid fielding of satellites and associated 
systems for tranches 3, 4, and 5 of the proliferated warfighter space 
architecture of the Agency.
            (d) Requirement for Next Generation Interceptor Fielding and Silo 
Construction.--The Secretary shall take such actions as may be 
necessary to expand Next Generation Interceptor production and silo 
construction at Fort Greely, Alaska, to field a minimum of 80 
interceptors at Fort Greely for defense of the United States to be 
completed not later than January 1, 2038.

    (e) Requirement for Combatant Commands To Account for Missile 
Defense Interceptors and Sensor Requirements in Their Annual 
Requests.--For each fiscal year beginning after the date of the 
enactment of this Act, each commander of a combatant command shall 
include the missile defense interceptor requirements, terrestrial-based 
sensor requirements, and space-based sensor requirements of the 
combatant command of the commander in the supporting information for 
the Department of Defense submitted along with the budget of the 
President to Congress for such fiscal year pursuant to 

section 1105

    (a) of title 31, United States Code.

    (f) Accelerating Development of Glide Phase Interceptor.--

    (1) Use of authorities to accelerate development.--The 
 Secretary shall use all authorities available to the Secretary 
 to accelerate development of the Glide Phase Interceptor to 
 defend against hypersonic threats to the United States 
 homeland.

    (2) Report on potential for parallel development.--Not 
 later than one year after the date of the enactment of this 
 Act, the Director of the Missile Defense Agency shall submit to 
 the Secretary a report on the potential for parallel 
 development of capabilities, revised program schedule, and the 
 risk associated with pursuing only one alternative for the 
 Glide Phase Interceptor.

    (g) Accelerating Production and Fielding of Terminal High Altitude 
Area Defense System.--The Secretary shall use all authorities available 
to the Secretary to accelerate the production and fielding of the 
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense

    (THAAD) system (including AN/TPY-2 
radars) for forward deployment and homeland defense as the Secretary 
and President consider appropriate.

    (h) Accelerating Development of Autonomous Agents To Defend Against 
Cruise Missiles and Drones.--The Secretary shall use all authorities 
available to the Secretary to accelerate development of autonomous 
agents to cost-effectively defend the United States homeland and 
forward-deployed armed forces against raids of both large cruise 
missiles and drones.
            (i) Accelerating Development and Deployment of Space-Based 
Interceptors.--The Secretary shall use all authorities available to the 
Secretary to accelerate development and deployment of proliferated 
space-based interceptors capable of boost-phase intercept.

    (j) Report To Reduce Cost Savings Per Round for Space-Based 
Interceptors.--Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment 
of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall submit a feasibility study 
to the congressional defense committees outlining multiple methods for 
reducing the cost per round of various space-based interceptors 
including kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities.

    (k) Accelerating Modernization of Certain Terrestrial Domain 
Capabilities.--The Secretary shall use all authorities available to the 
Secretary to accelerate modernization of terrestrial-based radar 
capabilities, including those located at or known as Cobra Dane, Thule 
Ballistic Missile Early Warning System

    (BMEWS) , Upgraded Early Warning 
Radar

    (UEWR) in Greenland and Cape Cod, Homeland Defense Radar in 
Hawaii, and the Alaska Radar System.
            (l) Modernization of Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack 
Characterization System.--The Secretary shall use all authorities 
available to the Secretary to accelerate the modernization and 
digitization of the Perimeter Acquisition Radar Attack Characterization 
System

    (PARCS) to improve detection of intercontinental and sea-
launched missile threats, as well as improve space domain awareness 
capabilities.
            (m) Site Selection and Program Execution Plan for Southern 
Hemisphere-Facing Early Warning Radar System.--Not later than 180 days 
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit 
to Congress a report detailing a site selection and proposed program 
execution plan for a southern hemisphere-facing early warning radar 
system capable of detecting threats from next generation complex 
missile attacks.

    (n) Site Selection and Program Execution Plan for Construction of 
East Coast-Based Aegis Ashore System.--Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a report detailing a site selection and proposed program 
execution plan for an east coast-based Aegis Ashore missile defense 
system.

    (o) Site Selection and Program Execution Plan for Construction of 
Alaska-Based Aegis Ashore System.--Not later than 180 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall submit to 
Congress a report detailing a site selection and proposed program 
execution plan for an Alaska-based Aegis Ashore missile defense system.

    (p) Completion and Certification of Aegis Ashore System in 
Hawaii.--The Secretary shall use all authorities available to the 
Secretary to accelerate completion and certification of an Aegis Ashore 
system based in Hawaii.

    (q) Acceleration of Munitions Production for Missile Defense.--The 
Secretary shall use all authorities available to the Secretary to 
accelerate production of critical munitions used for missile 
interception, including Standard Missile 3 Blocks IB and IIA and PAC-2 
and PAC-3 munitions.

    (r) Expedited Military Construction Authority.--

    (1) Waiver of regulations.--The Secretary may waive any and 
 all regulations, including environmental regulations, that the 
 Secretary determines would slow down, impede, block, or 
 otherwise hinder the construction, upgrade, or modernization of 
 infrastructure supporting a Joint Urgent Operational Need

    (JUON) associated with homeland or forward deployed missile 
 defense.

    (2) Congressional notice.--Whenever the Secretary uses the 
 authority provided by paragraph

    (1) , the Secretary shall, not 
 later than 45 days after using the authority, submit to the 
 congressional defense committees notice of such use.

    (s) Acceleration of Integrated Air and Missile Defense Technology 
Exchanges.--

    (1) In general.--The Secretary shall, in collaboration with 
 the Secretary of State, look for and exploit opportunities to 
 accelerate technology exchanges and transfers of integrated 
 missile defense technology, including over the horizon radar 
 with trusted allies under current defense agreements and 
 arrangements.

    (2) Rule of construction.--Nothing in this subsection shall 
 be construed to require the Secretary to exchange technology 
 with a foreign country if the President or the Secretary 
 determines that doing so would present a grave national 
 security threat to the United States.

    (t) Development and Securing of Supply Chains Critical to Missile 
Defense.--The Secretary shall, in collaboration with the Secretary of 
State, the Secretary of Commerce, and the Secretary of the Interior, 
identify critical shortages and vulnerabilities in supply chains 
critical to missile defense component production and shall use all 
authorities available to the Secretaries to develop and secure such 
supply chains.

    (u) Requirement for Procurement and Fielding of Dirigibles To 
Support Missile Defense.--

    (1) In general.--The Secretary of the Army shall procure 
 and field dirigibles, including airships and aerostats, in 
 support of the missile defense of the United States homeland 
 from ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missiles, and drones.

    (2) Requirements.--The requirements of paragraph

    (1) cover--
        (A) high altitude air defense systems to detect, 
 characterize, track, and engage current and emerging 
 advanced missile threats; and
        (B) both short-term and long-term solutions that 
 leverage the innovative dirigible and associated sensor 
 development that the Armed Forces, partners of the 
 United States, such as Israel, and United States 
 industry have undertaken during the 30-year period 
 ending on the date of the enactment of this Act.

    (3) Consideration.--In carrying out paragraph

    (1) , the 
 Secretary of the Army shall consider the use of dirigibles in 
 supporting resilient military and emergency communication 
 networks in a crisis.

SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

 There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this Act 
$19,548,100,000 for fiscal year 2026, of which--

    (1) $500,000,000 shall be available for requirements of 
 this Act relating to SM-3 Block 1B;

    (2) $500,000,000 shall be available for requirements of 
 this Act relating to SM-3 Block IIA;

    (3) $1,400,000,000 shall be available for requirements of 
 this Act relating to Terminal High Altitude Area Defense

    (THAAD) Systems;

    (4) $1,500,000,000 shall be available for requirements of 
 this Act relating to PAC-2 and PAC-3 Munitions and MM-104 
 Patriot batteries;

    (5) $1,000,000,000 shall be available for requirements of 
 this Act relating to east coast and Alaska-based Aegis Ashore 
 station construction;

    (6) $12,000,000,000 shall be available for expansion of 
 missile interceptor fields available at Fort Greely, Alaska, to 
 80 units with the Next Generation Interceptor;

    (7) $250,000,000 shall be available for requirements of 
 this Act relating to completion and certification of Hawaii 
 Aegis Ashore system;

    (8) $60,000,000 shall be available for requirements of this 
 Act relating to Space Development Agency satellite sensors;

    (9) $750,000,000 shall be available for requirements of 
 this Act relating to modernization of terrestrial-based domain 
 awareness radars;

    (10) $500,000,000 shall be available for requirements of 
 this Act relating to research and development relating to 
 directed energy or missile interception across the military 
 departments;

    (11) $900,000,000 shall be available for requirements of 
 this Act relating to research and development of space based 
 missile defense;

    (12) $63,100,000 shall be available for requirements of 
 this Act relating to Missile Defense Complex
            (MDC) and Fire 
 Team Readiness Facility

    (FTRF) ;

    (13) $100,000,000 shall be available for requirements of 
 this Act relating to procurement and fielding of dirigibles; 
 and

    (14) $25,000,000 shall be available for Missile Defense 
 Agency military construction to continue planning and design 
 activities for an east coast missile defense interceptor site.
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