As we join in the festivities of our Independence Day celebrations, we need to renew the pledges made by those who proposed the Declaration of Independence some 238 years ago today—again to “mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor” to assure the birthright given to us by the Founders is passed to future Americans. Not least is to prepare for and counter the existential EMP threat posed by the current forces of tyranny. Read Full Story
The quote “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive” refers to how complicated life becomes when people lie. It originally referred to a love triangle in the 1808 play “Marmion,” written by Sir Walter Scott. It applies in spades to previous and current policies of the Obama administration, especially those ineptly dealing with existential threats posed by the explosive conditions in the Middle East and East Asia. So, will we pay attention or find ourselves entangled and captured by the web? Read Full Story
In spite of claims to the contrary, al Qaeda and its allies and friends are alive and well—and seeking the destroy America and all our values and traditions. We have the knowledge and means to counter a growing existential threat posed by them, but we must recognize the threat and deal with it. Included in our response should be building effective defenses and hardening the electric power grid. Soon! Read Full Story
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
We will be adding key policy briefs as we progress.