U.S. Army Short-Range Air Defense Force Structure and Selected Programs: Backgroundand Issues for Congress

The U.S. Army defines Short-Range Air Defense (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. SHORAD 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.