New York Times on the Web Forums Science

Missile Defense

Technology has always found its greatest consumer in a nation's war and defense efforts. Since the last attempts at a "Star Wars" defense system, has technology changed considerably enough to make the latest Missile Defense initiatives more successful? Can such an application of science be successful? Is a militarized space inevitable, necessary or impossible?

gisterme - 04:53am Nov 7, 2001 EST (#10286 of 10657)

gisterme 11/7/01 4:46am continued:

Isn't that what civilized humans often do when they reach an impasse, Zep?

"... we humans shouldn't blame the poor ostriches for where they stick their heads because, after all, they only have little bird-brains"

"...Clearly I was disappointed with you if you have resorted to now evidently only capable of crass insults..."

What was untrue about that ostrich statement, zep? :-) Seriously, I'm sorry if you were insulted by what I said. I thought it was better than saying "I think they have their heads in the sand." Which is what I obvously meant. Once again I appologize for any insult beyond the scope of that statement.

"...Correspondingly there is little point trying to discuss anything if you wish to resort to being uncivilised, that behaviour I expect only from the likes of the Taliban..."

Uncivilized? My how quickly things change. Taliban??? You really are touchy today, zep. Did you get up on the wrong side of bed? I hope you're not so thin-skinned all the time...and you DO have a flair for the dramatic overstatment when riled! I'll give you that! I'm a little dissapointed myself that you could conceive of no more elegant rejoinder to such a very mild affront than a whine. Sounds to me more like you're just wanting a reason to duck out of the discussion than that you're really concerned about principals of civilization. :-)

But what does any of this have to do with technical and strategic issues of BMD (beyond establishing the need)? Any comments on the other stuff posted that falls more into those categories, zep?

ifulbahri - 08:48am Nov 7, 2001 EST (#10287 of 10657)

I think the United States has gone too far. The terrorists have not missiles, and they strike U.S infrastructure using American high tech like airplane.

armel7 - 12:47pm Nov 7, 2001 EST (#10288 of 10657)
Science/Health Forums Host

News:Pentagon considering restructure of Missile Defense...

Your host,
Michael Scott Armel

gisterme - 02:22pm Nov 7, 2001 EST (#10289 of 10657)

ifulbahri 11/7/01 8:48am

"...I think the United States has gone too far. The terrorists have not missiles, and they strike U.S infrastructure using American high tech like airplane..."

It is and will continue to become increasingly more difficult for them to do that. As the terrorist's "in-place" resources are interdicted or expended I believe they'll be trying to find other ways to do their deeds. Ballistic missiles will be one of those if they can get them. Here's one example of a "local" missile development program...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/south_asia/newsid_318000/318804.stm

If Pakistan and India can do this, so can Iraq. Development of missiles that can reach Europe and much of Russia from the middle east don't seem far beyond the horizon.

gisterme - 02:39pm Nov 7, 2001 EST (#10290 of 10657)

armel7 11/7/01 12:47pm

Pentagon Considering Restructure of Missile Defense...

Interesting little piece, Mike; but in spite of all its implications, it really doesn't say much. From what's said it's hard to glean whether "restructuring" will involve an acceleration, deceleration or just a round of musical chairs within the program. I'm sure we'll hear more about this in the future. Whichever is the case it should be interesting to learn the reasons for it.

ledzeppelin - 07:53am Nov 8, 2001 EST (#10291 of 10657)

armel7 - (#10288)

"Pentagon considering restructure of Missile Defense..."

I note this restructuring is with the armaments companies not the world wide community..... Oh well time will tell what the new Son of the Son of Star Wars is to be......

Interesting to hear Putin on the box yesterday blasting his new friend Bush over breaking the various nuke treaties, and Putin went on to say for Bush to do; only so gives terrorists greater access to the materials to make dirty bombs.

gisterme - 01:41pm Nov 8, 2001 EST (#10292 of 10657)

ledzeppelin 11/8/01 7:39am

From the "Islamabad article date Nov7" posted on the referenced link, commentary by "Afghan" ambassador in Islamabad Abdus Salam Zaeef...

..."Dispelling misconceptions about Taliban, he said, they were actually the Afghan nation."...

Hitler said he was the German nation too.

..."It is wrong to refer to Taliban as a group," he said. "We are part and parcel of Afghan society," he remarked...

Yep, just like a malignant tumor is part and parcel of it's unwilling host.

...and pointed out that nowhere in Afghanistan any protest or any action had been taken by the people against the Taliban government...

Right. The Taliban have all the guns and the thugs to use them. Who's going to protest under those conditions? Images of women being executed in the soccer stadium come to mind...

..."Taliban are the Afghan nation and it is very difficult to defeat a whole nation," he added...

That the Taliban are in some way the "Afghan nation" is the misconception that piece is trying to spread. They'd love to be seen as the "Afghan nation"! Unfortunately for them, at last count, the number of other nations that recognize the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan is zero. Take that fact then go figure. So there's no need to defeat the whole nation of Afghanistan. There's just a need to remove the tumor.

Based on those observations, I'd say Mr. Zaeef's title of "Afghan ambassador" is a bit pretentious.

We are in a propaganda war and that article is some propaganda from the Taliban side. Wasn't it you who was so recently concerned about helping the enemy by our words here, zep?

What does this have to do with missile defense? Haven't we already pretty much beat to death the components of this terror-related stuff that relate to MD, zep ?

(365 following messages)

New York Times on the Web Forums Science Missile Defense