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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?

Read Debates, a new Web-only feature culled from Readers' Opinions, published every Thursday.

gisterme - 07:43pm Dec 13, 2002 EST (# 6595 of 6649)

gisterme 12/13/02 6:58pm

"...Now, my question is...if a couple of SLVs tipped with nukes dentonate in the space above Pacific and a fewe cruise nuclear cruise missiles detonate themselves somewhere in the Japan sea, would those knock out any form of BMD system based both in the space and ocean..."

I believe that most critical defensive systems are shielded against the effects of electromagnetic pulses.

"...I wonder how the military planners can counter a couple of nuclear silkworms exploding a mile away from the ageis fleet. Any ideas?"

Umm, I'd expect such an act would be followed by a fairly rapid regime change in NK, manju. I think the military planning for same would be fairly simple.

gisterme - 07:47pm Dec 13, 2002 EST (# 6596 of 6649)

manjumicha 12/13/02 6:51pm

"...What is the "stealth" ICBM launchers, is there such a thing?..."

Sure. It's called a ballistic missile submarine. The US, Russia, China, the UK and France either now have or have had them.

manjumicha - 09:28pm Dec 13, 2002 EST (# 6597 of 6649)

When NK wants to go out with a bang and takes US with it, I don't think it would be worried about a regime change. And I doubt very much that any electronic shield can withstand the heat and EM pulse generated from a H-bomb explosion nearby.

I believe what worries the commander on the field the most is the ultimate "asymetrical" warfare that NK is capable of and will be engaged in. Even in th best possible outcome re: the MD, the whole system is only as strong as the weakest link of them all...and they are satellites and ageis network.....after they are gone, every ICBM in their arsenal can fly through the sky. Like a big giant goliath going down after losing an eye...it won't be pretty after that...sure NK will go out in flame but that is why I think they were called a "scorpion" by Admiral Pruher... Btw, Admiral Nye was writing about the dangers of asymetrical warefare since early 90s when Rummy was running a moeny-grabbing venture using his prior government services. Hopefully the real soliders like Admiral Nye and Perry are being heard somewhere....

Btw, you are not really serious about the nuclear subs being "stealth", are you? If you are, I got a bridge in NYC I want to sell you.

lunarchick - 05:07am Dec 14, 2002 EST (# 6598 of 6649)

Kiss-CONFLICT OF Kiss-INTEREST

Kissinger informed President Bush that he could not serve as chairman of the Sept. 11 commission if it meant revealing the clients of his consulting firm.
(today NYT)

Were Kiss a reader (of this thread) he'd have a pretty good understanding of conflict of interest.

$$ If he quits - how much did he get?

$$ If he quits - how much does he get to keep?

But then - as one of the presidents chosen men - he may not intend to function in the 'real' sel-detonating world.

commondata - 05:24am Dec 14, 2002 EST (# 6599 of 6649)

gisterme 12/13/02 7:06pm - Gawd, commondata. Don't start this crap again.

Ah Gisterme! Even though my laptop was in another room I heard the insistent call of a babbling infant. Over to Kofi Annan:

"Too often, innocent civilians have become victims not only of the abuses of their own government, but also of the measures taken against it by the international community."

From http://www.reliefweb.int/ocha_ol/civilians/impact_sanctions:

As the Secretary-General stated in his first report on the Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict, experience has shown that sanctions can have a highly negative impact on civilian populations, especially children and women.

This led to the realization that comprehensive economic sanctions or broad trade embargoes are coercive measures of the past and that in today’s sanctions policies, strategies for mitigating adverse humanitarian impacts on vulnerable populations have imperatively to be incorporated from the very beginning.

Don't blame Iraqi suffereng caused by UNITED NATIONS sanctions that could have been ended at any time if Saddam had complied with United Nations resolutions on the United States.

In 1998 there was widespread belief within the IAEA, within the UN, among the inspectors and virtually everywhere else beyond Washington that Iraq no longer presented a threat to the international community. What evidence do you have to the contrary?

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