Our Mission

The Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) mission is to develop, test, and field an integrated, layered, ballistic missile defense system (BMDS) to defend the United States, its deployed forces, allies, and friends against all ranges of enemy ballistic missiles in all phases of flight.

 

National Missile Defense Act

It is the policy of the United States to deploy, as soon as is technologically possible, an effective National Missile Defense system capable of defending the territory of the United States against limited ballistic missile attack (whether accidental, unauthorized, or deliberate) with funding subject to the annual authorization of appropriations and the annual appropriation of funds for National Missile Defense.
— National Missile Defense Act of 1999 (Public Law 106-38 signed by President Clinton)

Four Focus Areas of Missile Defense

  1. Enhance missile defense to defend deployed forces, allies and friends against theater threats
  2. Continue a viable homeland defense against rogue state threats beyond 2030
  3. Prove missile defense works
  4. Develop technologies to hedge against future threat growth

MDA Strategic Goals

In order to achieve our mission, the MDA is dedicated to the following goals:

  1. Prove the power of missile defense through successful testing
  2. Enable fielding of European Phased Adaptive Approach phase I
  3. Provide a professionally rewarding work environment for a highly skilled and diverse workforce
  4. Enhance leadership and management skills
  5. Efficient use of taxpayer’s investment in missile defense
  6. Provide DoD enterprise solutions to the Services and COCOMs
  7. Complete BMDS and element Phased Adaptive Approach phase ¾ Systems Engineering trades to maximize effectiveness and minimize cost
  8. Implement National Security Strategy through international cooperation in missile defense
  9. Capitalize on the creativity and innovation of the nation’s universities and small business community to enhance missile defense science and technology

Core Values

Our core values define the MDA culture and set the tone for our workforce:

  1. Respect: Mutual for each other with dignity
  2. Teamwork: We accomplish more helping each other than as individuals
  3. Dedication: To our nation and our missile defense mission
  4. Integrity: In all things, all the time
  5. Professionalism: Strive for it in all you do