WASHINGTON (1010 WINS) -- The Trump administration is expected to roll out a new missile defense strategy.
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CBS News reports, the space-based system is meant to protect against threats from North Korea and Iran, and to counter Chinese and Russian weapon systems.
Details on the program are expected to be released Thursday, when President Donald Trump visits the Pentagon.
The administration's Missile Defense Review is expected to call for "investment into new advancement of defense concepts and capabilities." A senior administration official said the use of space technology for missile defense will help America stay ahead of the threat.
Officials say the U.S. is looking at space based sensors to detect missiles when they are launched, and space based interceptors that can take out enemy missiles shortly after launch -- called a 'boost phase' approach, because the system would work while the missile's booster engines are still burning.
Potential U.S. adversaries have been developing a more expansive range of offensive weapons that include hypersonic weapons in addition to cruise and ballistic missiles. Russian President Vladimir Putin claims to have strategic weapons that fly 20 times the speed of sound and can't be intercepted.
"Developments in hypersonic propulsion will revolutionize warfare by providing the ability to strike targets more quickly, at greater distances, and with greater firepower," Lt. Gen. Robert Ashley, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said. "China is also developing increasingly sophisticated ballistic missile warheads and hypersonic glide vehicles in an attempt to counter ballistic missile defense systems."
The current missile defense systems employed by the U.S. are land and ship based. President Trump and Vice President Pence have both emphasized the need for space-based capabilities.