Comments on: Missile Defense Trifecta

By: TheMasterTimekeeper

TheMasterTimekeeper — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 18:33:08 +0000

Has anyone considered that Soviet reaction to SDI? Feasability issues aside, my take is that they were seriously concerned. Let us not forget that the ABM Treaty had given them a strategic advantage– they had at least one, probably two, working ABM systems whereas the US was struggling to manage one. (SA-5s were tracked intercepting targets in ICBM flight profiles according to a contemporary article at http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/airchronicles/aureview/1981/sep-oct/barlow.htm which of course was in addition to the ABM system guarding Moscow.)
Is it a tax sink now? Of course! But we need to remember that war is an extention of politics, and while the North Korean government has IRBMs to rattle in their silos it is politically expedient for the US to have ABM defenses capable of handling a small scale attack on Japan or our Western holdings.
And then there’s China.

By: Dfens

Dfens — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 14:07:10 +0000

“A bullet with a bullet” that pure bs! How many bullets do you know of have sensors and guidance avionics? Physics is physics, and bs is bs.

By: nixon did it

nixon did it — Sun, 04 Dec 2005 06:42:06 +0000

As a military intelligence officer involved in some strange activities back in the 80s, I got deeply involved in the early days of the old Army ATBM program and its progenythe Strategic Defense Initiative, or SDI, which is the father of the current effort. Now, I’m no rocket scientistliterallybut I had the opportunity to deal closely with some very eminent scientists in Huntsville, DC and other high-tech havens. I am a good listener, however, especially when I have to generate detailed, highly classified reports for very senior people.
I’ll never forget one world-class guy telling me to picture trying to hit a bullet with a bullet; he felt it couldn’t be done, esp. not in an environment where even 99% success wasn’t good enough. I’ve seen nothing in the ensuing years to contravene what he said. Physics is physics, despite all of the wishing and hoping from various politicians and the generals in the amen chorus.
This effort has turned into the proverbial money pit. Think of the mega-billions that have been spent over the years and think of how they could have been otherwise spent. For example, on the Clinton Administration initiative to have DOE scientists work with the Russians to locate and neutralize nasty old tactical nukes. Lots of those, many of which are unaccounted for. Let’s not forget that the Bush Administration has strangled this promising effort. Think of our porous borders and our woefully weak port security posture.
At a time when most security experts agree that the most likely nuclear attack will manifest itself in the form of a “suitcase” bomb introduced via old-fashioned shipping/smuggling activities, we are preoccupied with wizardry masquerading as science.

By: Dfens

Dfens — Sat, 03 Dec 2005 03:58:03 +0000

This is the ideal situation for the defense contractors. One political party claims it’s not possible, giving them a technical out, and the other has staked a big chunk of political capital on its being possible. With that group being in power, that all but guarantees unending funding and a standing army of apologists. It is absolutely obscene!

By: Pedestrian

Pedestrian — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 16:31:10 +0000

Who is the idiot calling for cancellation of ABL project? I wish I could break his neck for such a stupid act. There are plenty other things to cut, such as some claiming about too much C-130s.

By: Dfens

Dfens — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 16:16:12 +0000

Yeah, we can hit a maneuvering MiG-21 with a missile, but it’s just too hard to hit a missile of the same size or larger, even if it’s on a ballistic trajectory, so it’s really easy to predict it’s path, even if it’s not maneuvering. What kind of moron believes that? Oh wait, we have a whole major political party full of idiots who recite that mantra all the time.
But that party is really going to stick it to the defense contractors now, isn’t it? They’re calling for these programs to be cancelled. Oooh, that’ll show them. Never mind the fact they earned profit on every single dime they spent developing this useless batch of junk. Naturally we’re not going to hold anyone responsible for wasting all your tax money. After all, what they were asked to do was impossible from the beginning, right?
Kiss your money good bye. You’re too stupid to keep it anyway.