All of a sudden the world of ballistic missile defense gets ominous. Powers that were considered super-powers are not that super any more. People who actually understand ballistic missile defense may not have a concept of what it really entails.
On 2/20/08, the Aegis class cruiser Lake Erie near Hawaii shot down a disabled spy satellite (US 193). Despite the pitching and rolling of heavy seas US 193 was vaporized with the first shot of an SM-3 missile. It was part of the arsenal of the US’s Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD).
With the firing window was only about 30 seconds long a second shot was available, but not needed (George Landrith/Frontiers of Freedom). The satellite was carrying 1000 lbs of toxic hydrazine, and had a minor chance of hitting a population center. US 193 was 150 miles up in space traveling at 17,000 mph—about five times faster that a speeding bullet, and 20x the speed of sound. And it was obvious that the whole world was watching--at least those that mattered.
From Mona Charen(TownHall) we learn Senator Barbara Boxer called the Strategic Defense Initiative “The president’s astrological dream…”. Then Senator Al Gore called SDI “not feasible’. Journalist Ted Koppel recited “There is no way its going to work within the next twenty years…and it’s going to cost trillions of dollars.” The New York Times labeled the idea “a pipe dream, a projection of fantasy into policy.” Michael Dukakis called SDI “a fantasy—a technological illusion which most scientists say cannot be achieved in the foreseeable future”. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D/OR) seemed to like George Lucas imagery: “Like the movie, this is a phantom solution—hitting a bullet with a bullet in outer space.”
Well, DeFazio was partly right. But it seems that things much faster than a bullet can be destroyed. One’s mind can open up here, and as they say “imagine the possibilities”.
Already, many other recent tests have shown results with success. To date (Mona Charen/TownHall) we know that over 30 other nations are working on missile defense. Perhaps they realize they may want to be included in this “umbrella” of protection. They will likely pay handsomely for the technology to acquire buy-in to this system.
If this system is perfected, will ICBMs go the way of the Dodo? Will the feared planet extinction scenario from nuclear blasts disappear from the radar screen? How much will the US save from not having to replenish, keep up, or even reduce a nuclear arsenal? Per the Associated Press, the US has spent approximately $100 billion on missile defense since 1983. This amount is actually a small percentage of defense spending during that period. Isn’t a billion a 1000x less than a trillion?
We also know that two former super-powers, Russia and China, are not happy at all about US advancement of missile defense. Russia has threatened retaliation on Czechoslovakia if they acquire a missile defense shield. China launched its own anti-satellite tests on 1/11/07, in which Beijing secretly destroyed one of its own aging weather satellites, but followed it with two weeks of steadfast denial (Baker Spring/Heritage Foundation).
Even our possible antagonists know BMD will work, but they deride America for any work on BMD. Perhaps they understand, with the realization of BMD, terrorist blackmail could be completely thwarted. Or, they may not have the upper hand with a first strike. Relegation to less than a super-power has got to be tough on the ego.
It’s known that America’s development of BMD reflects a fundamentally defensive and non-aggressive purpose. The truly awe-inspiring result is the casualties expected from such an endeavor. The grand total should be zero.
One problem may be that the American government is not entirely forthcoming with all the successes they’ve had. Granted, we know about the Navy having a 12 for 14 test record, including against simultaneous launches of ballistic and cruise missiles. And, according to Pentagon data, Aegis-equipped warships are able to track about 1,000 targets and attack 20 of them simultaneously.
But we haven’t heard about the airborne laser system allegedly capable of producing a megawatt-class beam that kills a missile several hundred kilometers away. What else haven’t we heard about?
Kevin Roeten can be reached at roetenks@charter.net or kevin@kevinroeten.us.
