PERCEIVED GAP WITHIN THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS’ INTEGRATED AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM (IADS) CAPABILITY

Abstract

This thesis identifies a significant capability gap in the United States Marine Corps’ (USMC’s) Integrated Air Defense System (IADS), particularly in medium-altitude and medium-range air defense systems. The research points to the USMC’s reliance on a singular, short-range, and low-altitude organic air defense system with the FIM-92 Stinger missile. It discusses the challenges posed by peer adversaries such as the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia with advanced air power capabilities that threaten U.S. control of the air in contested spaces. Despite updates to doctrine such as the Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO) concept and new systems like the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS), which counters small UAS and low flying threats, the USMC lacks organic capabilities against medium-altitude and medium-range air threats. This thesis uses multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) to aid in the analysis of alternatives (AoA) and highlights how acquiring an air defense system that can use either the Tamir interceptor or the AIM-9X missile can bolster the USMC IADS.