Trump stresses threats from China, Russia, Iran in missile defense review

U.S. Air Force photo

An unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile launches during an operational test on Feb. 20, 2016, Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled the first overhaul of American missile defense doctrine in nearly a decade at the Pentagon.

Known as the missile defense review, the unclassified report, which was expected last year, is believed to have been delayed because of sensitivities about how to frame threats posed by China, Russia, North Korea and Iran, according to several defense officials.

The 108-page report emphasizes the need for a “comprehensive approach to missile defense against rogue state and regional missile threats,” and calls for the development of new technologies to its system in the future.

“Our goal is simple, to ensure that we can detect and destroy any missile launched against the United States anywhere, anytime, anyplace,” Trump said.

Trump’s speech at the Pentagon marked his first public comments since four American troops were killed in northern Syria in a suicide bombing for which the radical militant group ISIS took responsibility.

The president also took time at the beginning of his remarks to address the ongoing clash over border security funding that has has resulted in the longest government shutdown on record.

“We need strong borders. We need strong barriers and walls. Nothing else is going to work,” Trump said.

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Vice President Mike Pence both stressed the need to enhance America’s missile defense systems in remarks preceding Trump.

“Our nation does not seek adversaries, but we will not ignore them either,” Shanahan said.