North Korea continues to produce nuclear material and, between May 2019 and late March 2020, conducted multiple short-range ballistic missile tests in violation of United Nations Security Council prohibitions. And Kim Jong Un rolled out a new major intercontinental-range ballistic missile (ICBM) during an October 10, 2020 nighttime parade in Pyongyang. Read Full Story
Retired Army General Edward C. Meyer, former Army Chief of Staff (1979-83), died last week in Arlington, Virginia at the age of 91. I understand his prep-school colleagues called him “Shy,” a nickname that stuck; but he was anything but shy. Read Full Story
“Gorbachev said he could not do it. If they could agree to ban research in space, he would sign in two minutes. They should add to the text ‘The testing in space of all space components of missile defense is prohibited, except research and testing conducting in laboratories’ . . .” Authoritative Memcon from Reykjavik Summit, October 12, 1986 Read Full Story
“Gorbachev said he could not do it. If they could agree to ban research in space, he would sign in two minutes. They should add to the text ‘The testing in space of all space components of missile defense is prohibited, except research and testing conducting in laboratories’ . . .” Authoritative Memcon from Reykjavik Summit, October 12, 1986 Read Full Story
“So far, the only promising [boost phase] defense system concept has been a space based or satellite borne interceptor. Such a system requires many thousands of interceptors in space, but at a given instant only a small fraction will be in a position to attack. The economic feasibility of such systems is heavily dependent upon equipment reliability and upon enemy countermeasures.” ~ Harold N. Beveridge in his 1960 Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) ‘Project Defender” report Read Full Story
Claims that the President’s Space Force proposal is in trouble are much overstated. Indeed, what is unfolding has many precedents in history where success proceeds in a “one-step-backward” and “two-steps-forward” manner. Indeed, maybe we are watching the development of a supportive alignment for founding major steps toward the President’s stated Space Force objective — including a role for space based defenses. Read Full Story
We endorse the position of General John Hyten, USAF, Commander of U.S. Strategic Command, who recently testified, “We’re going to have a Space Force someday. I think what the Committee has to decide is when is that going to happen, and I think now is the time…you want to get ahead of the problem, not trail it, not come in response to a catastrophe. Get ahead of the problem.” ~ From an Open Letter from 43 former Senior Defense Officials Read Full Story
National Security Advisor John Bolton’s trip to Moscow received much public fanfare following President Trump’s announced plan to withdraw from the INF Treaty that Russia has been violating for years, with little or no U.S. response — hopefully he has reset the entire arms control agenda from recent administrations and we are returning to Ronald Reagan’s Peace Through Strength agenda in dealing not only with Russia but also China and others. Read Full Story
“Gorbachev said he could not do it. If they could agree to ban research in space, he would sign in two minutes. They should add to the text ‘The testing in space of all space components of missile defense is prohibited, except research and testing conducting in laboratories’ . . .” Authoritative Memcon from Reykjavik Summit, October 12, 1986 Read Full Story
“ . . . If the allied military targets had been spread out, there wouldn’t have been enough Patriots in the world to defend them all. In 15-20 years, when very accurate missiles with mass destruction warheads are available to third world nations, the U.S. will need a regional wide area defense force to duplicate on a grand scale the Patriot’s pivotal role of defanging the Scud.” Lt. Gen. Charles A. Horner, Commander US Central Command, Tactical Air Forces, in Aviation Week, 11 February 1991 Read Full Story
We will be adding key policy briefs as we progress.