In articles, people all the time quote this 55% success rate which can be quite misleading.
In reality it is the sum of all tests. Obviously, the first prototypes which less advanced and less reliable.
however, US spent tens of billion since then. and the interception rate improved a lot.
Anyway, for now GBI is not set up to defend attack from the East.
They spent billions to make more of them, so they could launch two per warhead.
On paper it is sound. Just like British decolonization plans
I stumbled upon this report on US missile defense prepared by Government Accountability Office. (
https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-11-555t.pdf) Here's what it says about the GMD(GBI) program:
GMD continues to deliver assets before testing has fully determined their capabilities and limitations. The Director, MDA testified on March 31, 2011 that he considers the GMD interceptors are essentially prototypes. In the urgency to deploy assets to meet the Presidential directive to field an initial capability by 2004, assets were built and deployed before developmental testing was completed. During the ongoing developmental testing, issues were found that led to a need for retrofits. GMD intercept tests conducted to date have already led to major hardware or software changes to the interceptors—not all of which have been verified through flight testing. In addition, manufacturing of a new variant called the Capability Enhancement II is well underway and more than half of those variants have already been delivered although their capability has not been validated through developmental flight tests. To date, the two flight tests utilizing this variant have both failed to intercept the target. According to MDA, as a result of the most recent failure in December 2010, deliveries of this variant have been halted.
In short, its a rush-job, and it doesn't work. Thanks Bush.
As for the Aegis BMD, I found this report (
https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-21-314.pdf) who had this to say about SM-3 BlockIIA's which are designed to shoot down ICBMs.
ICBM intercepts are more challenging than the IRBM intercepts for which the SM-3 IIA was originally designed. MDA’s most recent attempt to create a system for intercepting ICBMs, known as the Redesigned Kill Vehicle (RKV), re-used some parts from the SM-3 Block IIA. DOD cancelled the RKV before it could complete development after significant cost and schedule overruns and questions about the ability of the design to overcome specific performance risks. Parts re-used from the SM-3 Block IIA were implicated in some of the RKV’s performance shortfalls. Even so, planning for an anti-ICBM capability for the SM-3 Block IIA continued during and even after the RKV’s termination. Achieving such a capability will require surmounting several challenges. According to MDA, during the November 2020 flight test named FTM-44, the SM-3 Block IIA struck a simple ICBM target. This was not an operational test, however, and it was executed under highly favorable conditions. More development work is needed for the SM-3 Block IIA to support a layered homeland defense capability. MDA documents show that the agency now plans to develop and procure an upgraded version of the SM-3 Block IIA for the specific purpose of fulfilling the homeland defense mission.
So the effectiveness of this missile is also highly dubious. Also:
...However, the program only delivered 5 of 11 planned SM-3 Block IIA interceptors due to the need to investigate and remediate an anomaly with the interceptor’s thruster detected during flight test FTI-03. The first two SM-3 Block IIA interceptors that the program delivered for the year—a primary and spare—were necessary to complete the flight test FTM-44.
Not only they aren't certain of the effectiveness of the missile that they rely on for countering ICBM's, but they also DONT EVEN HAVE IT/CANT EVEN MAKE THE BLOODY THING.
Add this to the fact that the US AEGIS fleet being already stretched thin covering for Japan, SK and USA simultaneously, and the relief effort not coming until 2030's with DDG(X) because of US Navy's scuffed procurement practices (remember Independence-class LCS?) and you'll understand why the US right now is simply not capable of protecting itself and its allies from a coordinated ICBM strike from Russia and China.
Don't get high on American propaganda.