Title page 1

Contents 3

Summary 2

Introduction 5

Background 5

Aegis Ships 5

Ticonderoga (CG-47) Class Aegis Cruisers 5

Arleigh Burke (DDG-51) Class Aegis Destroyers 5

Aegis Ships in Allied Navies 6

Aegis BMD System 6

Versions and Capabilities of Aegis BMD System 6

Aegis BMD Interceptor Missiles 7

Numbers of BMD-Capable Aegis Ships 12

BMD-Capable Aegis Destroyers Forward-Homeported in Spain 12

Aegis Ashore Sites 13

Two Navy-Operated Sites in Romania and Poland 13

Navy Interest in Divesting Aegis Ashore Sites It Operates 14

Japan Planned and Later Canceled Two Sites 15

Use of Aegis BMD Elements in Guam Missile Defense System 16

Aegis BMD Development Philosophy and Flight Tests 17

Allied Participation and Interest in Aegis BMD Program 17

Japan 17

South Korea 18

Other Countries 18

Aeigs BMD Program Funding 18

Issues for Congress 19

Annual Funding Request 19

Program Deliveries, Testing, and Technical Risk 19

January 2025 DOT&E Report 19

May 2023 GAO Report 19

Inventories of BMD-Capable Interceptor Missiles 22

Potential Contribution from Lasers 23

Issues in Earlier Years 24

Estimating and Reporting Costs 24

Potential for Intercepting ICBMs 24

Required vs. Available Numbers of BMD-Capable Aegis Ships 27

Burden of BMD Mission on U.S. Navy Aegis Ships 28

Allied Burden Sharing: U.S. vs. Allied Contributions to Regional BMD Capabilities 31

Conversion of Hawaii Aegis Test Site 32

Appendix. Reported Aegis BMD Flight Tests 34

Author Information 37

Disclaimer 37

Tables 4

Table 1. FY2026 MDA Procurement and R&D Funding Line Items for Aegis BMD Efforts 18

Figures 3

Figure 1. GAO Summary of Capabilities of Aegis BMD System Variants 7

Appendix Tables 4

Table A-1. Reported Aegis BMD Flight Tests From January 2002 to the Present 34