Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey said the Army has broadened the Space and Missile Defense Command’s role beyond the Ground-based Midcourse Defense mission to include all air and missile defense threats. “We did grow in responsibility,” he said. “The ground-based midcourse defense mission that we traditionally held under NORTHCOM has expanded to air and missile defense holistically.” The shift brings drones and cruise missiles into SMDC’s day-to-day planning alongside long-range ballistic threats.
Two air and missile defense headquarters now report to SMDC. The active-duty 32nd Army Air and Missile Defense Command, long tied to CENTCOM rotations, and the Army National Guard’s 263rd AAMDC were placed under the command in October, officials confirm. The move gives SMDC a mix of active and Guard capacity for domestic contingencies without disrupting overseas commitments.
Western Hemisphere Command, a new four-star uniting Army North, Army South, and Forces Command, is scheduled to activate before year-end. “Western Hemisphere Command will be stood up before the end of the year,” Gen. Randy George told reporters during the Army’s annual meeting in Washington. An Army spokesperson added the service is finalizing personnel and basing decisions.
Command Restructuring and National Guard Integration
The 32nd AAMDC brings a deployable theater-level headquarters overseeing four air defense brigades. It has integrated Patriot and other air defense assets for repeated global rotations. The 263rd AAMDC adds a National Guard component headquartered in Anderson, South Carolina, overseeing the 678th Air Defense Artillery Brigade and units supporting the National Capital Region Integrated Air Defense System.
Pairing both under one command under SMDC gives the service surge depth for domestic operations and a structure for state-federal coordination. The Joint Air Defense Operations Center continues linking Sentinel radars, NASAMS, Avenger and Stinger teams, and alert fighters for capital region defense. SMDC’s expanded role sits at planning and higher command-and-control, leaving day-to-day execution through NORAD and Joint Force Headquarters–National Capital Region.
Gainey pointed to expanded planning for missions like the National Capital Region, signaling SMDC will synchronize more than Ground-based Midcourse Defense sites in Alaska and California. According to industry sources, the Army has prepared for this through active-reserve integration events and staff drills tied to new homeland scenarios.
Western Hemisphere Command and Consolidation Goals
The Western Hemisphere Command consolidates Army North, Army South, and Forces Command under one four-star to reduce organizational layers and accelerate employment for domestic defense and regional partnerships. Senior leaders outlined a six- to eight-week implementation sprint. Policy direction earlier this year tasked the Army to streamline headquarters and reduce duplicated four-star billets, setting conditions for this consolidation.
The new command does not replace NORTHCOM, which retains the combatant command mission for North American defense. The Army’s reorganization instead unifies its service component pieces, giving NORTHCOM a single integrated Army counterpart for planning and presenting forces. Congressional oversight committees have asked for measurable reporting on readiness and resourcing once the command reaches initial operating status.
Daniel P. Driscoll, the Army Secretary since February, has emphasized faster fielding, fewer handoffs between program offices, and software-heavy upgrades-priorities aligning with integrated homeland defense architecture.
Air and Missile Defense Strategy 2040
Lt. Gen. Gainey said the Army completed Air and Missile Defense Strategy 2040 and moved it into final staffing for November release. The strategy reflects lessons from Ukraine and the Middle East, shifting away from system-by-system solutions toward a networked architecture where multiple sensors feed common fire control and shooters scale from counter-UAS to cruise-missile defense to Patriot systems.
The Integrated Battle Command System recorded dual cruise-missile intercepts in an October White Sands flight test, showing it can pair radar tracks to different launchers through the network. IBCS serves as the command-and-control backbone for layered defense.
The Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor is moving to production offering 360-degree coverage. The Indirect Fire Protection Capability built around the Enduring Shield launcher and growing interceptor options fill the medium tier. A second interceptor effort started this month to extend reach and magazine depth against advanced cruise-missile profiles. Prototype issues are scheduled for air defense battalions in the fourth quarter of 2025.
Homeland defense integrates IBCS to fuse Army and joint sensors with shooters, LTAMDS and upgraded Sentinel radars for low-flyer coverage in terrain, and IFPC launchers bridging short-range air defense and Patriot systems. Those layers sit alongside GMD radars and interceptors focused on long-range ballistic threats. Recent Long Range Discrimination Radar testing in Alaska underscored that ballistic tracking remains central to NORTHCOM and SMDC’s legacy mission.
Air defenders in the 32nd and 263rd will continue overseas rotations supporting combatant commands. SMDC now plans large homeland defense exercises and real-world responses. Both commands train on National Capital Region defense tasks during maintaining expeditionary skills.
Our analysis shows the Army is consolidating command authority through SMDC, fielding IBCS-led networks offering next-generation sensors and interceptors, and finalizing a strategy to guide upgrades through 2040. Those steps place most homeland air and missile defense under one commander offering clearer technical integration.
REFERENCE SOURCES
- https://breakingdefense.com/2025/10/armys-space-and-missile-defense-command-expands-homeland-defense-mission/
- https://breakingdefense.com/2025/10/gen-george-says-armys-new-western-hemisphere-command-to-stand-up-in-weeks/
- https://www.defensenews.com/land/2025/08/14/army-poised-to-expand-role-in-homeland-defense-commander-says/
- https://www.defensenews.com/land/2025/08/05/us-army-readies-to-release-new-missile-defense-strategy-soon/
- https://www.army.mil/32ndAAMDC
- https://www.army.mil/article/287587/gainey_addresses_2025_smd_symposium
- https://www.army.mil/article/287888/army_successfully_demonstrates_ltamds_360_degree_capability
- https://news.northropgrumman.com/ibcs-integrated-air-and-defense-battle-command-system/Integrated-Battle-Command-System-Proves-Performance-in-Flight-Test
- https://thedefensepost.com/2025/10/07/us-army-ibcs-missile-test/
- https://missiledefenseadvocacy.org/defense-systems/joint-air-defense-operations-center-jadoc/
