Missile Defense Archives | Page 5 of 13

Category Archives: Missile Defense

June 5, 2014—Perceptions vs. Reality . . .

by Scott Cooper on June 5, 2014 in Boost-Phase Defenses, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Missile Defense, Raptor Talon, Space Based Defense

The most cost-effective way to counter the threat of proliferating ballistic missiles with improved offensive countermeasures is with space-based defenses that can intercept attacking ballistic missiles while their rockets are burning in their boost phase, before they can release their decoys that can overwhelm our current mid-course defenses that work in outer space. These space-based defense concepts remain controversial—and are falsely perceived to be too expensive and beyond our reach. Over two decades ago, the most advanced technology produced by the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was used to design a far more cost-effective system concept than any other basing alternative—before or since. We need to overcome this false perception and take full advantage of current technology to build a modern space-based defense system. And there are signs this is possible. Read Full Story

May 29, 2014—Revive Raptor Talon!

by Scott Cooper on May 29, 2014 in Boost-Phase Defenses, Effective Countermeasures, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Missile Defense, Raptor Talon, Sea Based Defense

To counter the threat of proliferating ballistic missiles with improved offensive countermeasures, we need cost-effective defenses, well beyond the capability of our current systems. The best way to achieve this goal is with defenses that can intercept attacking ballistic missiles while their rockets are burning in their boost phase, before they can release their decoys that overwhelm our current mid-course defenses that work in outer space. We need to revive initiatives from the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) era that recognized this potential problem and dealt with it. The most cost-effective concepts, space based interceptors, remain controversial—but unpiloted aerial vehicles (UAVs) may be acceptable as launch platforms for boost-phase interceptors. Happily, that SDI-pioneered technology has survived, at least after a fashion, and could be harnessed to defeat today’s offensive countermeasures. Read Full Story

May 22, 2014—Will We Ever Learn?

by Scott Cooper on May 22, 2014 in Effective Countermeasures, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Missile Defense, Space Based Defense

Recent Pentagon strategic guidance states that the threat of proliferating ballistic missiles with improved offensive countermeasures will defeat current and planned ballistic missile defense systems—suggesting major changes in direction are required. Actually, this situation should not be a surprise since the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) era recognized this potential problem and dealt with it—regrettably those initiatives were scuttled by the Clinton administration and have not been revived, presumably for political reasons because this condition need not be tolerated if we would simply return to the SDI vision and technology championed by President Ronald Reagan. Stay tuned. Read Full Story

May 8, 2014—Diplomacy to Counter FOBS!

by Scott Cooper on May 8, 2014 in FOBS, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Iran, Missile Defense, North Korea

We have opportunities for diplomatic initiatives to benefit the United States and our allies while defending against fractional orbital bombardment system (FOBS) attacks from North Korea and Iran. Such initiatives should be easily attached to agreements for defense cooperation, as evidenced by the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) with the Philippines and discussions in Abu Dhabi—both of which set the stage for rapid follow through to end our total FOBS vulnerability and cooperate on regional defenses for our allies as well. Read Full Story

May 1, 2014—May Day—Return from the Future?

by Scott Cooper on May 1, 2014 in Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, May Day, Missile Defense

Reflecting on past May Day celebrations in Red Square prompts recollections of better times, to which I believe we should aspire to return. In my opinion, the high point, especially for our ballistic missile defense (BMD) programs was at the end of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) decade at the end of 1992, while Ronald Reagan’s “Peace through Strength” vision was still alive and well. It’s been a bit down-hill since then, at least from my perspective, though Vladimir Putin probably has a different perspective—especially as he views Russia’s current prospects in dealing with a U.S. administration that our enemies don’t fear and our friends don’t respect. Read Full Story

April 27, 2014 – Pivot Agenda Item: Defeat FOBS!

by Scott Cooper on April 28, 2014 in Aegis, EMP, FOBS, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Iran, Missile Defense, North Korea

On his trip to the Pacific Rim, President Obama should set the stage for almost immediately ending America’s current vulnerability to the existential electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threat posed by North Korea’s Fractional Orbital Bombardment System (FOBS) capability. Beyond unilateral measures—the U.S. could deploy a TPY-2 radar in the Philippines to help defend them from North Korea and to empower our Aegis ships in the Pacific and our ground-based interceptors in California to shoot down a FOBS attack before it reaches U.S. Territory. Read Full Story

April 17, 2014—Defeat Iran’s FOBS!

by Scott Cooper on April 17, 2014 in Aegis, EMP, FOBS, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Iran, Missile Defense, North Korea

Iran, like North Korea, has demonstrated an ability to launch nuclear weapons into low earth orbit over the South Polar regions. Last year, they launched a monkey into space in such a trajectory, reportedly in a 4400 pound capsule that could easily carry a conventionally designed nuclear weapon into orbit. If they launched a much lighter “EMP” nuclear weapon possibly in the North Korean inventory, they could achieve substantially higher orbits. (Detonation of either weapon over the U.S. could lead to the death of several hundred million Americans within a year.) These facts, coupled with geographic realities, make defending against an Iranian FOBS more difficult than is the case for North Korea. And the Iranian Mullahs may be more inclined to attack “the Great Satan” than is North Korea’s Dear Leader. We can and should quickly end our vulnerability to both emerging if not existing threats. Read Full Story

April 11, 2014—Defeat North Korea’s FOBS!

by Scott Cooper on April 10, 2014 in Aegis, EMP, FOBS, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Missile Defense, North Korea

A combined diplomatic and technical response is proposed to counter effectively North Korea’s demonstrated FOBS capability, which poses an existential EMP threat to the American people. We should insist on inspecting their satellite payloads for launches over the South Polar regions, and if they refuse be prepared to shoot down their satellites before they overfly U.S. territory. We should deploy a layered set of sea- and land-based defenses to do so, beginning almost immediately—and for relatively little expense since existing mostly already funded defense capabilities would be employed. Read Full Story

April 3, 2014—North Korea’s Looming EMP Threat.

by Scott Cooper on April 3, 2014 in Aegis, Aegis Ashore, EMP, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Missile Defense, North Korea

North Korea’s recent satellite launches and previous nuclear tests, coupled with its recent claims of a coming test of a “new form” nuclear weapon, give us pause in contemplating a possible North Korean EMP attack on the United States coming from over the South Polar region. The question is, will we take effective initiatives in time to counter this threat? Read Full Story

March 25, 2014—Put the Stars Back Into Star Wars!

by Scott Cooper on March 25, 2014 in EMP, GPALS, Henry F. Cooper, High Frontier, Iran, Missile Defense, North Korea, Space Defense

To deal more effectively with today’s threats, we should return to President Ronald Reagan’s vision made explicit in his March 23, 1983 speech that launched the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The “powers that be” should revive technology programs aimed at developing space-based defenses, the most cost-effective way to defend against a full gamut of ballistic missile threats, including those that pose an existential electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threat. Read Full Story