Iranian Deal Deception! l High Frontier

“I continue to be concerned about Iranian malign activity in the region to include here [in Iraq], and the possibility of Iranian aggression and the possibility that Iran will not obey the agreement, which we’ll find out, because there’s got to be inspections and [verification] and so forth . . . We will keep the military option, which was the alternative to a deal . . . [It] doesn’t solve all problems over in this part of the world, and it doesn’t solve all problems emanating from Iran. … It’s an agreement that places important limitations upon Iran, places no limits on us, and it doesn’t place any limits on anything we do with anybody in this region.” Defense Secretary Ashton Carter to the Troops in Iraq, as reported by Breitbart News on July 24.

I’ve known Ash Carter for over 30-years, sometimes disagreed with him but never doubted his technical competence . . . and always respected his efforts to reflect factually his understanding of the truth in formulating policy matters. What an awkward spot for him to be defending this administration’s policies on the “Deal with Iran” . . . especially to our troops under his command in the Middle East!

One should consider the words of the above quotation with that thought in mind. It is certainly true as far as it goes. But then Secretary Carter is also quoted as saying things he must know are false. For example:

“The Iran nuclear deal, which is a good deal, in the sense that it will stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon. It’s about Iranian nuclear weapons. It’s not about everything else Iran does.”

Defense Secretary Ashton Carter

That the deal is a “good deal” may be his judgment call—fair enough, but his claim that “it will stop Iran from getting a nuclear weapon” is false—as I’m sure Secretary Carter knows from his own previous technical studies. And his reported claim that the deal is only about Iranian nuclear weapons is demonstrably false from a brief reading of the deal—and from numerous news accounts. If he relied on staff briefs to back up that claim, shame on him.

Furthermore, Secretary Carter has to know that Iran has already demonstrated the ability to deliver nuclear weapons to attack the United States, so the argument about the alleged constraints on delivery systems is a diversion, as I have argued previously. Or click here for the shorter National Review Online version.

Nuclear weapons can be delivered by satellites that approach the United States from our undefended South. Ash cannot claim ignorance of this fact.

The Ash Carter I first met in my days at the State Department in the 1980s already knew about the Fractional Orbital System (FOBS) that the Soviets developed to deliver nuclear weapons this way—nothing more than an alternate name for the demonstrated Iranian capability. This past February Iran launched its fourth satellite in an orbit at just the right altitude to create an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) over the continental United States. As should be well known, at least to him, this is an existential threat to the American people. Consider last weeks message for more details.

I’d be somewhat comforted if he would reflect the view that he and former Defense Secretary Bill Perry took—correctly I should add—in their 2006 Washington Post article that urged President Bush to destroy on their launch pads North Korean ICBMs then in development.

Iran today deserves no less a countermeasure—but directed against Iran’s current ability to deliver nuclear weapons over the South Polar regions to approach the United States from our undefended South.

Regrettably, we permitted North Korea to continue not only with their development of ICBMs but also to obtain nuclear weapons in spite of pledged prevention of that outcome via diplomatic measures like those now being pursued by the Obama administration. Note: North Korea and Iran are allies in pursuing nuclear weapons and the ability to deliver them.

Fool me once, shame on you—fool me twice, shame on me!

The EMP from a single nuclear weapon detonated above the United States could produce an EMP to shut down America’s electric power grid, without which up to ninety percent of all Americans could perish within the next year from starvation, disease and the consequent societal collapse. This is not a hypothetical threat—as Secretary Carter well understands.

He also well understands that his Department, for over a half century, has had the Nation’s primary responsibility for assuring that our strategic forces can operate through such an EMP attack and retaliate following a nuclear attack from Russia, China, or other nations.

Indeed, we are still working to assure this is still the case. As Peter Pry and I wrote in the May 1, 2015 Wall Street Journal and I elaborated in my May 5^th High Frontier message. Admiral Gortney, the Commander of North American Aerospace Defense (NORAD) Command, briefed the press that some $700 million is being spent to re-upgrade the Cheyenne Mountain Complex in Colorado Springs to assure it can operate through an EMP attack and provide key warning and attack assessment information to inform the President’s subsequent decisions.

So, we well understand the threat is real and we know how to protect against it.

However, it is sadly true that these well-known hardening procedures are not being applied to assure survival of the electric power grid upon which depend the survival of the American people and our very way of life. Correcting this deficiency also should be a high priority for Admiral Gortney in his role as Commander of Northern Command. Secretary Carter could make a priority of assuring that his and the rest of Washington’s Homeland Defense bureaucracy corrects this deficiency.

There is no time to waste!

Iran’s activities suggest it is nearing its goal of an ability to execute its oft-stated chant of “Death to America.” This goal is not hyperbole as made clear by Iran’s official military doctrine, as made clear last week by Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) in his presentation to a Washington international meeting of governmental and private individuals concerned about these issues:

“As for the nuclear EMP threat, the National Intelligence University translated an Iranian military doctrine called Passive Defense from 2010, which emphasizes the importance of targeting critical infrastructure in warfare and references 22 times the use of EMP as a weapon to damage or disable the civilian electric grids of potential opponents. The Iranian doctrine states that Nuclear and non-nuclear EMP weapons operate differently but morally are the same.

“The conclusion of this doctrine is that nuclear EMP is ‘an advanced and useful weapon in modern warfare:’”

QUOTE “As a result of not having the other destructive effects that nuclear weapons possess, among them the loss of human life, weapons derived from electromagnetic pulses have attracted attention with regard to their use in future wars…The superficiality of secondary damage sustained, as well as the avoidance of human casualties, serves as a motivation to transform this technology into an advanced and useful weapon in modern warfare.” UNQUOTE

Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ), July 21, 2015

Sixth Annual Electric Infrastructure Security (EIS) Summit

Washington, DC

The so-called deal with Iran now being considered by Congress only hastens the day when Iran has the clear ability to achieve this goal of its military doctrine.

For authoritative discussion of these problems, I recommend that you consider the transcripts from last Wednesday’s Senate Homeland Security hearing on the EMP threat to the grid—especially the testimony for the record by Former CIA Director R. James Woolsey—and subsequent articles he co-authored with Peter Pry in Family Security Matters and the Washington Times.

Regrettably, the congressional leadership frittered away its “Advice and Consent” role as defined by the Constitution. Then Congress’ alternatives were further weakened by the Obama administration’s insult in gaining approval from the United Nations Security Council before initiating serious discussions with Congress. Now the future rests with whether a sufficient number of Democrats in Congress will override President Obama’s veto of the almost certain rejection of the majority of Congress. Not a pretty picture, as discussed in detail by Andy McCarthy.

We’ll know whether we’ll be stuck by the current “powers that be” with this bad, bad deal in a couple of months. If this deal stacked against the American people is not countered, I fear we have much less time before Iran poses a fully visible existential threat to all Americans and all we hold dear.

If we want to deal with this existential threat, I believe American citizens and their local and state authorities must act because our Washington leaders continue to fail to meet their sworn duty.

Ash Carter, if you get this message, prove me wrong. Take the initiative, not only in the Department of Defense, but throughout the Washington Interagency process to counter this existential threat.

Bottom Lines.

The chattering classes are focused on the pursuit of a deal with Iran that will, if enacted, leave the world in a much more dangerous place—including a likely nuclear arms race between Sunni and Shia factions in the Middle East.

While allegedly seeking a decade free of Iranian nuclear weapons, our leaders are ignoring the near term existential threat from Iran (and North Korea) posed by nuclear weapons detonated in space over the United States. This threat already exists from North Korea—and may exist from Iran. This deal will do little if anything to reduce that threat.

Still the Washington “powers that be” continue to ignore this existential threat reality. The American people need to inform themselves of these realities and demand that their representative provide for the common defense as they are sworn to do.

The key question is, “Do we have the will and time to do so?”

Near Term High Frontier Plans.

In addition to continuing to press for building the most cost-effective ballistic missile defenses possible, we will continue working with South Carolina folks to build a coalition to engage constructively with private citizens and their local and state representatives and other authorities to work with the SC National Guard in understanding and responding to the existential threats to the electric power grid.

What can you do?

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.

Begin by passing this message to your friends and suggest they visit our webpage www.highfrontier.org, for more information. Also, please encourage your sphere of influence to sign up for our weekly e-newsletter.

Encourage them to review our past email messages, posted on www.highfrontier.org, to learn about many details related to the existential manmade and natural EMP threats and how we can protect America against them. I hope you will help us with our urgently needed efforts, which I will be discussing in future messages.

Click here to make a tax deductible gift. If you prefer to mail a check, Please send it to 500 North Washington Street, Alexandria, VA 22314.

E-Mail Message 150728