US announces plans to augment THAAD and integrate it with other missile defense system

Posted on : 2020-02-17 17:28 KST Modified on : 2020-02-17 17:28 KST
Washington may try to get Seoul to pay for additional construction costs
THAAD launchers in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province. (Baek So-ah, staff photographer)
THAAD launchers in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province. (Baek So-ah, staff photographer)

The US has announced plans to allocate a large budget to improving the performance of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and augment its interoperability with the Patriot (PAC-3) missile on the Korean Peninsula. Observers are asking about how this will change the operation status of THAAD, which is positioned in Seongju, North Gyeongsang Province. Some are predicting China and North Korea could respond sensitively to the reinforcement of the US missile defense network.

According to a US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) briefing on Feb. 14 regarding the 2021 accounting year budget, the US allocated US$1 billion to improving the performance of THAAD systems in seven locations -- including the continental US, Guam, and Seongju -- and to purchasing interception missiles. It also announced plans to mobilize THAAD launchers through remote operation and integrate the THAAD and Patriot systems. The plans were reportedly explained to South Korea by the US beforehand.

In a briefing, MDA Director Jon Hill said that “phase one” would be to “to extend [the operational radius of] or remote the launchers of THAAD.”

“If you can separate the launchers away from the battery, that gives you a lot of flexibility on the peninsula,” he said.

“So you could put the battery further back, you can move the radar back, you can put the launchers forward, you can bring in additional launchers,” he continued. The current THAAD battery in Seongju is designed to work as a single unit, with the radar and six launchers linked by cables.

While it remains uncertain how far the scope of remote operation is to be extended, some are focusing on the possibility that THAAD launchers could be taken outside of Seongju if they are separated from the battery. Some are suggesting the THAAD performance improvements could lead to the deployment of additional launchers.

“The US was merely explaining that it plans to incrementally upgrade THAAD through software improvements at the practical level. They never mentioned ‘deployment,’” a South Korean Ministry of National Defense (MND) senior official said.

“The movement and additional deployment of THAAD launchers are matters that would need to be discussed with us,” the official stressed.

The integrated operation of THAAD and Patriot missiles would signify a substantial reinforcement of the US missile defense system. Hill referred to the launch of Patriot missiles using THAAD radar as a goal of the integrated operation. Some are speculating that the THAAD radar in Seongju could be linked with the integrated US missile defense system encompassing the rest of the world, including China. Additional objections from Beijing are expected if the THAAD radar in Seongju extends beyond the Korean Peninsula to be incorporated in the US missile defense network.

During the briefing, the US also said it was allocating US$49 million in next year’s budget toward construction costs for the Seongju base, indicating the possibility of Seoul paying the bill. The construction costs include areas such as an armory, security facilities, electricity, wastewater, and road paving. With Seoul claiming to date the THAAD deployment costs are paid by the US while South Korea provides the site and infrastructure, the nature of construction costs could become a subject of debate.

“There are some things that could be seen as infrastructure and others that couldn’t,” an MND official said.

“It’s a matter that will need to be discussed as we perform general environment impact assessments and such going forward,” the official added.

By Yoo Kang-moon, senior staff writer

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