CRS INSIGHT
U.S. Army's Initial Maneuver, Short-Range Air Defense
(IM-SHORAD) System
July 18, 2018 (IN10931)
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Andrew Feickert
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Andrew Feickert, Specialist in Military Ground Forces (afeickert@crs.loc.gov, 7-7673)
The Current State of Army SHORAD
The Army defines
SHORAD as:
Dedicated air defense artillery (ADA) and non-dedicated air defense capabilities that enable movement and maneuver
by destroying, neutralizing or deterring low altitude air threats to defend critical fixed and semi-fixed assets and
maneuver forces.
The Army summarizes the recent history and current state of Army SHORAD in the following section:
Short-range air defense artillery units were historically embedded in Army divisions, providing them with an organic
capability to protect their critical assets against fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. However, in the early 2000s, these
ADA units were divested from the Army to meet force demands deemed more critical at that time. Decision-makers
accepted the risk that threat aircraft might have on maneuver forces and other critical assets because we believed the Air
Force could maintain air superiority. Thus, the short-range ADA force post-2005 was reduced to two battalions of
active component Avenger and counter-rocket, artillery and mortar batteries and seven National Guard Avenger
battalions; none of which are organic divisional elements. Defense against air threats in maneuver forces is
currently limited to that provided by organic weapons and maneuver personnel.
Renewed Emphasis on SHORAD
Since 2005, there has been a dramatic increase in air and missile platforms that could threaten U.S. ground forces. The
use of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) has increased exponentially, and UASs have been used successfully by both
sides in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict. Furthermore, fixed-wing aircraft, attack helicopters, and cruise missiles continue
to pose a significant threat to U.S. ground forces. In its 2015 report to the President and Congress, the National
Commission on the Future of the Army noted, among things, there were unacceptable modernization shortfalls in
SHORAD and those major shortfalls caused other concerns across a wide range of contingencies, including in Europe
and the Korean peninsula.
