E. Paul Semmens has continued to add to the development of the Air Defense doctrine through his most recent article: "Air Defense Artillery Doctrine: Is it Time for a Change?" published in a three part series beginning in the 27 June edition of Air Defense Artillery Magazine Online.
In this article, E Paul has proposed the branch must reexamine the assumptions that support the current principles of Air Defense with regard to the Air and Missile system capabilities available today.
E. Paul writes, "An update of the principles seems appropriate as the branch now faces a much larger and more sophisticated air and missile defense threat on future battlefields. One can anticipate that in the Pacific, or in the Middle East, air defenders will face ballistic missile attacks of various calibers utilizing saturation firing tactics, along with synchronized cruise missile attacks. One Patriot battery assigned to each asset on the commander’s defended asset list will not be enough to ensure the defense of the highest value targets. These situations will call for a massed and mixed defense—[and the] precise definition [of these principles and guidelines] is worthy of a branch-wide discussion; one that needs to start now."
In a successful test flight on January 26, THAAD intercepted a scud-type ballistic missile at the Pacific Missile Range Facility in Hawaii. This was the first THAAD flight test at the PMRF. This integrated test proved THAAD’s capability to acquire, discriminate, track, and kill an incoming threat to US or allied personnel and assets.