Missile Defense Defend and Deter Act of 2016

This bill requires the Department of Defense (DOD) Missile Defense Agency to administer an intercept flight test of the ground-based midcourse defense element of the ballistic missile defense system at least once each fiscal year.

Each test shall provide for:

• validation of the defense element's operational effectiveness;
• use of assets in their operational configuration against an inventory of targets to assess performance in a variety of flight test regimes;
• use of operational doctrine and real-world constraints;
• evaluation of new concepts of operations, tactics, and techniques; and
• mechanisms to assure the confidence of members of the Armed Forces in the basic design of the ground-based midcourse defense element, its hit-to-kill effectiveness, and its operational capability.

The Agency may forgo a test if:

• it would jeopardize national security, not be successful due to specific ground-based midcourse defense components needing a non-intercept test, and likely fail due to impractical time considerations; or
• funding is insufficient.

The Agency also may forgo a test if DOD determines that the testing is detrimental to U.S. national security interests and provides notice to Congress.