December 31, 2019—Taking Stock and 2020 Resolutions

Our 2019 New Year’s resolutions were to: 1) Complete our Lake Wylie Pilot Study and begin exporting its lessons for protecting the electric grid throughout South and North Carolina and report our progress to the rest of the nation; and 2) Press for a Brilliant Pebbles space based interceptor system to be included in President Trump’s Space Force. Status Report: Much Progress, but More to do!

The Washington “powers that be” have been politically divided in a feud between a Democrat controlled House and a Republican controlled Senate — particularly as the House advanced its “Impeachment” agenda. That condition has led to major delays nationally that have also slowed our progress in South Carolina.

But President Donald Trump, as Commander in Chief under the Constitution, undertook major initiatives that have enabled major progress in both of these two key areas — and near the year’s end, congress provided needed support by passing the National Defense Authorization Act for 2020 — NDAA (2020) and appropriating ample funds to support both.

Lake Wylie Pilot Study and the EMP Threat.

President Trump’s March 19, 2019 Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Executive Order established a national game plan for protecting the electric power grid — and near year’s end congress passed a related important amendment to the NDAA (2020), proposed by Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI).

It wrote President Trump’s Executive Order into law with a few added benefits, including a very important provision directing the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), acting through the Under Secretary for Science and Technology and in concert with other interagency players and “the private sector” to “develop and implement a pilot test to evaluate engineering approaches for mitigating” EMP effects on the nation’s “most vulnerable critical infrastructure systems, networks and assets.”

Our Lake Wylie Pilot Study has already made major steps toward this now congressionally directed objective. Click here for my most recent (November 19, 2019) status report that also outlines our proposed way ahead.

Then, section 1720 of the NDAA (2020) provides a way ahead for our Lake Wylie Pilot Study game plan to engage the National Guard, especially with active participation of the South Carolina Adjutant General and key National Guard components that report to the South Carolina Governor through him.

Specifically, it directs that the Chief of the National Guard Bureau, in consultation with the Commander of US Northern Command (NORTHCOM), submit to congressional committees a comprehensive report clarifying the roles and missions, structure, capabilities and training of the National Guard and NORTHCOM along with emerging gaps and shortfalls in view of the threats to our homeland security — and with recommended approaches to deal with these threats, including especially “a particular focus on a multi-state electromagnetic pulse event.” [Emphasis added.]

While this initiative could be an important step forward — and we’ll certainly work to make it so, I worry that it seems mainly intended to engender another study, this time to produce a “roadmap to 2040 that addresses readiness across the spectrum of long-range emerging threats . . . ”

Long before then, I want to see executed serious applications of what we have long well understood how to do!!!

As we have shown in our Lake Wylie Pilot Study, we long ago well understood how affordable, available means can be applied to harden the electric power grid — using the very same means that the DoD has used for decades to protect our most important strategic nuclear systems. The one-time costs would be much, much less that the average family pays monthly for their health insurance.

Demonstrating this possibility to the “powers that be” will be an important challenge for our efforts in 2020. If successful, we can begin to make major progress in a matter of weeks. Therefore, our first 2020 Resolution is to realize that possibility!

Space Force Advances but with a Way to Go.

The good news is that the NDAA (2020) includes specific language establishing a U.S. Space Force as President Trump wanted. But possible — even likely — “Bad News” is that it is established within the United States Air Force rather than as a completely separate service.

This arrangement is generally described by the press and others as being like the Marine Corps, which reports to the Secretary of Defense though the Secretary of the Navy as it has since we have had service secretaries.

However, I would prefer to describe the situation to be like the Army Air Corps, which in turn grew out of the Army Signal Corps that during World War I was an adjunct to our ground-based fighting forces.

But then, World War II demonstrated beyond dispute that we needed a completely separate Air Force to champion the nation’s Air Power — just as General Billy Mitchell had advocated decades earlier when he was reduced in rank and court-marshalled for his outspoken advocacy. (He actually predicted Pearl Harbor — strategic warning that was ignored because then Army and Navy “powers that be” did not believe it could happen.)

Click here for my April 23, 2019 message that included my then just published Newsmax article recalling some of this important history while remembering the famous Doolittle heroic raid on Tokyo that demonstrated America’s resolve to fight back after Pearl Harbor.

As a tribute on the death of the last of the Doolittle Raiders — Jimmy Doolittle’s co-pilot, USAF Colonel Richard Cole, then USAF Secretary Heather Wilson named the B-2 Bombers now under development as “Raiders.”

It also seemed fitting to note that the B-25 used in that “30 seconds over Tokyo” was called “the Mitchell” after Billy Mitchell — still the only USAF aircraft named after an individual. He is revered by many, including yours truly, as the “Father of the USAF.” Note, the separate USAF became a reality in 1947 — after World War II.

Today, we have a similar situation as the USAF provides a home for the U.S. Space Force. It appears to be devoted primarily to supporting roles to the other services — like the signal corps was to the Army — rather than a fighting force for operating in, through and from space. Air power was needed not only to support the other services — but also to challenge and defeat other nations’ advances in applying air power.

Hopefully, it will not take a modern World War to persuade the current powers that be that the Space Force should rapidly evolve into a completely separate service, as President Trump originally proposed.

We no longer have the isolation provided in 1941 by our “island existence,” oceans away from our enemies. And some visionaries believe we are already playing “catch-up” with Russia and China in exploiting the benefits of space and advancing electronic technology that exceed the possibilities of air power.

We are exposed to immediate threats from long range nuclear armed missiles and essentially instantaneous threats from the 5G electronic realities that will dominate modern warfare in the very near future.

Not the least of the shortcomings that should be rectified is the revival of space-based interceptors and other means to intercept threats in, through and from space.

Recent reports of the Russian Avangard boost glide system that threatens our operational missile defenses should cause pause. If we had built the Brilliant Pebbles space-based interceptor system that we knew was possible by the mid-1990s this threat would likely have been deterred.

So now we must play catch-up. But while the NDAA(2020) authorizes the Space Force, it provides no apparent support or funding for reviving such system concepts that were the most cost-effective products of the 1983-93 era of President Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). Today’s 5G technology can empower even more capable defenses.

Do we have to wait for Avangard and other likely threats from Russia and China to be fully demonstrated before we wake up? I hope not.

We need a separate Space Force ASAP to deal realistically with these threats with the most capable space military systems! Is that our current plan?

Or are we still stuck in a mindset that sees “Space as a sanctuary” to be buffered by arms control and the vagaries of legal thinking and related negotiated measures alone? Didn’t we see this show before?

Click here for Eric Lofgren’s Defense News article, appropriately titled “Will the Space Force control its own destiny?

He describes the organizational realities that threaten substantial lethargy within the Air Force, my favorite service in which I proudly served. I fear Lofgren’s concern is well justified — and urge the powers that be to pay close attention and rectify this situation as soon as possible.

Our second Resolution for 2020 is to continue to press this agenda, especially to begin a serious revival effort in 2020.

Bottom Lines.

Thankfully, Congress passed important legislation that will support efforts important to our High Frontier interests and efforts. We are well on our way to planning for more advances in 2020 and the next decade.

Stand with us! And remember Yogi Berra’s observation: “It ain’t over, ‘till it’s over!” Better yet, remember Sir Winston Churchill’s famous challenge: “Never Give in! Never, never, never — in anything great or small, large or petty — never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.”

Hear, hear!!!! Happy New Year!

Please continue to stand with us! Click here to make a tax deductible gift to help us continue our important work. This is you last opportunity in 2018. If you prefer to mail a check, please send it to: High Frontier, 20 F Street, 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20001.

Join us in praying for our nation, and for a rebirth of the freedom sought, achieved and passed to us by those who came before us.

Help us to spread our message to the grass roots and to encourage all “powers that be” to provide for the common defense as they are sworn to do.

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