Congressional Research Service says that Congress has given only “a mixed reception” to the concept of deploying some long range ballistic missiles in a conventional mode. Even so, both the Air Force and the Navy, urged on by the Administration, have studied concepts and technologies for doing so. The Air Force budget request for 2006 contains funding for its efforts. The Pentagon sees conventional ballistic missiles as key to its new prompt global strike mission.
As it develops new weapons to attack satellites, the U.S. Space Force is focused more on ground-based efforts where the technology is more mature, the service’s top general said April 3.