“[S]pace capabilities are critical for effective deterrence, defense, and force projection capabilities. . . Due to the critical importance of these assets, the national security strategy states, ‘any harmful interference with or attack upon critical components of our space architecture that directly affects this vital U.S. interest will be met with a deliberate response at a time, place, manner, and domain of our choosing.'” Under Secretary of Defense for Policy John Rood Read Full Story
On March 1, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin favored us with some of his true views, consistent with his reported declaration over a decade ago, “The breakup of the Soviet Union was the greatest geopolitical tragedy of the 20th century.” His bellicose claims of how Russia was now rectifying the failures of his predecessors remind me of Nikita Khrushchev’s 1956 claim that “Whether you like it or not, history is on our side. We will bury (or outlast) you. Hopefully, “Forewarned is forearmed!” Read Full Story
“INITIAL OPERATIONAL DEPLOYMENT.—The Secretary of Defense shall ensure that an effective interim kinetic or directed energy boost phase ballistic missile defense capability is available for initial operational deployment as soon as practicable.” Section 1685, National Defense Authorization Act for 2018 Read Full Story
“If consistent with the direction or recommendations of the Ballistic Missile Defense Review that commenced in 2017, the Director of the Missile Defense Agency shall develop a space-based ballistic missile intercept layer to the ballistic missile defense system that is—regionally focused; (2) capable of providing boost-phase defense; and (3) achieves an operational capability at the earliest practicable date.” Section 1688, National Defense Authorization Act or 2018 Read Full Story
“Someday, not too distant; there can come streaking out of somewhere (We won’t be able to hear it, it will come so fast.) some kind of gadget with an explosive so powerful that one projectile will be able to wipe out completely this city of Washington. . . . I think we will meet the attack alright [sic] and, of course, in the air. But I’ll tell you one thing, there won’t be a … pilot in the sky! That attack will be met by machines guided not by human brains, but by devices conjured up by human brains.” ~ General Henry H. Arnold, 1943 Read Full Story
“President-elect Trump should direct the Pentagon to revive SDI plans for destroying ballistic missiles in their boost phase, shortly after launch — when a ballistic missile is most vulnerable and before it releases its nuclear warheads and decoys. We should not continue depending solely on the more expensive midcourse- and terminal-phase intercept capability.” … “How Trump Can Revive Reagan’s Defense Vision,” National Review, November 29, 2016 Read Full Story
“We propose to rebuild the key tools of missile defense, starting with the Navy cruisers that are the foundation of our missile defense capabilities in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. As we expand our Navy toward the goal of 350 ships, we will also procure additional modern destroyers that are designed to handle the missile defense mission in the coming years.”
Candidate Donald Trump, September 2016 Speech in Philadelphia
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“It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more difficult of success, nor more dangerous to manage, than the creation of a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institutions and merely lukewarm defenders in those who would gain by the new ones.” Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli in The Prince, 1513. Read Full Story
“China is pursuing a broad and robust array of counterspace capabilities, which includes direct-ascent anti-satellite missiles, co-orbital anti-satellite systems, computer network operations, ground-based satellite jammers and directed energy weapons.” ~ Bill Gertz, quoting from a new report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, to be published next month Read Full Story
“There was a time when space-based missile defense was criticized as ‘weaponizing space.’ So, while we sat back and tried to show leadership on this issue, Russia and China weaponized it for us . . . [I]t’s time to get past ideology and develop real defenses, and space-based missile defenses shouldn’t be off-the-table. For less than our current systems, we could deploy a missile defense system in space that’s more capable than what we have in today’s GMD system.” Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee at the July 8th AFA, NDIA and ROA seminar Read Full Story
We will be adding key policy briefs as we progress.