Command Structure of the Ballistic Missile Defense System

The United States is embarking on a course of designing and fielding a Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) to protect the US and her citizenry against ballistic missile attacks. The BMDS will need a Command and Control, Battle Management, and Communications (C2BMC) organization/system to support military and national decision makers in times of crisis. The C2BMC must also be able to react quickly once a missile event has occurred. This thesis will cover the doctrinal issues with merging Theater Missile Defense (TMD) and the National Missile Warning System into one system, how the Unified Command Plan affects missile defense efforts, the lessons learned from Desert Storm, and presents alternative chains of command that might allow the BMDS to engage threat missiles in a timely and efficient manner. Preliminary findings indicate that a 'flattened' chain of command for missile defense forces seems to be a positive starting point for the initial deployment of the BMDS.