Should DOD create a single agency to guard America from cruise missile attack? It’s a serious issue getting lots of think-tank attention. Yet when a reporter asked Donald Rumsfeld about it, he responded, in effect, “I’ll get back to you.” What he actually said was, “It’s not something that’s on my radar screen at the moment.” The issue will be back, especially for the Air Force; the service has frequently noted that the F/A-22 fighter is about the only system able to deal with these low-flying, hedge-hopping missiles.
The U.S. military is maintaining a beefed-up presence in the Middle East, including fighters and air defense assets, following the U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities June 22 and subsequent retaliation by the Iranians against Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
