On November 17, 2020, the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) conducted a potentially very consequential test of the Navy’s Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) capability — hopefully indicating a major step toward realizing this vision of the George H.W. Bush administration and 1995 Heritage Foundation’s Team B. Read Full Story
“As the era of great power competition continues to evolve, we must understand the full breadth and depth of the competition, how they think, and how they are likely to act or react.” ~Brendan Mulvaney, Director of the Air University’s China Aerospace Studies Institute (CASI), in the introduction to “China’s Space Narrative” Read Full Story
“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We [don’t] pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.” ~ Ronald Reagan Read Full Story
DoD is upgrading the Aegis BMD system’s SM-3 Block IIA interceptor, and its command, control system to intercept ICBMs. It’s about time since even the Block IB had this potential!!! So, we are reportedly taking the first step of the Heritage Foundation’s 1995 Team B Recommendations for a Global Defense. When, oh when, will we take the second and go to space? 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
DoD is evaluating the Aegis BMD system’s SM-3 Block IIA interceptor, and its command, control system to intercept ICBMs. It’s about time, since even the Block IB demonstrated this inherent potential in 2008!!! Finally, we seem to be taking steps to realize the vision and recommendations of the Heritage Foundation’s 1995 Team B. Read Full Story
SpaceX and others in the private sector are exploiting current technology that can enable a truly advanced space-based defense program — an advanced Brilliant Pebbles system that was the most important Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) concept from President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). It entered a fully approved Concept Development and Validation (DemVal) program in 1990, anticipated to cost $20 billion (in today’s dollars), which could lead to deployment in space within five years and operate for 20 years. Current “powers that be” should follow the lead of SpaceX and others to build ASAP such advanced systems as part of President Trump’s Space Force. Read Full Story
“I believe it can be credibly argued that among President Reagan’s greatest acts of leadership was his commitment on March 23, 1983, to the Strategic Defense Initiative — SDI. . . He put it this way on the tenth anniversary of his SDI announcement: “It is as true today as it was ten years ago that this effort holds the promise of changing the course of human history, by freeing the world from the ominous threat of ballistic missile attack. Given the choice, shouldn’t we seek to save lives rather than avenge them?” ~ Former Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) . . . And it is still true today! Read Full Story
Brilliant Pebbles, the most important Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) concept from President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), entered a fully approved Concept Development and Validation (DemVal) program in 1990, anticipated to cost $20 billion (in today’s dollars) to begin deployment in space within five years and operate for 20 years. Current “powers that be” should make sure new studies take that definitive effort into account support President Trump’s Space Force initiative. Read Full Story
Brilliant Pebbles, the most important Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) concept developed by President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), was canceled by the Clinton Administration for ideological reasons and has been ignored ever since. If resurrected by President Trump’s Space Force and supported by Congress, it could begin deployment in space within five years and operate for 20 years for a total cost of $20 billion or less. Read Full Story
We will be adding key policy briefs as we progress.