Posted on 12/25/2016 3:00:46 PM PST by Rusty0604
As politicians and mainstream media blast Trump's apparently incendiary tweet regarding nuclear arms, none other than President Obama just signed legislation that, by striking a single word from longstanding US nuclear defence policy, could heighten tensions with Russia and China and launch the country on an expensive effort to build space-based defense systems.
Oh the irony... Following Trump's tweet...
The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2016
The mainstream media has lambasted the president-elect for "endangering the world" and "starting another nuclear arms race." However, that same mainstream media appears mute in their response to what President Obama just did...
The National Defence Authorisation Act, a year-end policy bill encompassing virtually every aspect of the US military, contained two provisions with potentially momentous consequences. As AP reports,
One struck the word “limited” from language describing the mission of the country’s homeland missile defence system. The system is said to be designed to thwart a small-scale attack by a non-superpower such as North Korea or Iran.
A related provision calls for the Pentagon to start “research, development, test and evaluation” of space-based systems for missile defence.
Together, the provisions signal that the US will seek to use advanced technology to defeat both small-scale and large-scale nuclear attacks.
That could unsettle the decades-old balance of power among the major nuclear states.
Huge bipartisan majorities in both houses of Congress approved the policy changes over the past month, with virtually no public debate.
Although the White House had earlier criticised the changes, it stopped short of threatening a veto. On Friday, Obama signed the legislation.
Leading defence scientists said the idea that a space-based system could provide security against nuclear attack is a fantasy...
“It defies the laws of physics and is not based on science of any kind,” said L. David Montague, a retired president of missile systems for Lockheed and co-chair of a National Academy of Sciences panel that studied missile defence technologies at the request of Congress.
“Even if we darken the sky with hundreds or thousands of satellites and interceptors, there’s no way to ensure against a dedicated attack,” Montague said in an interview. “So it’s an opportunity to waste a prodigious amount of money.”
He called the provisions passed by Congress “insanity, pure and simple.”
Republican Congressman Trent Franks, who introduced and shepherded the policy changes in the House, said he drew inspiration from former president Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defence Initiative of the 1980s, which was intended to use lasers and other space-based weaponry to render nuclear weapons “impotent and obsolete.” Known as “Star Wars”, the initiative cost taxpayers US$30 billion, but no system was ever deployed.
Philip E. Coyle III, a former assistant secretary of defence who headed the Pentagon office responsible for testing and evaluating weapon systems, described the idea of a space-based nuclear shield as “a sham”.
“To do this would cost just gazillions and gazillions,” Coyle said. “The technology isn’t at hand – nor is the money. It’s unfortunate from my point of view that the Congress doesn’t see that.”
He added: “Both Russia and China will use it as an excuse to do something that they want to do.”
Finally, when asked whether the country could afford it, Franks replied: “What is national security worth? It’s priceless."
Priceless indeed.
So who is "starting an arms race?"
Let’s be very clear....and IMHO...North Korea and Iran in possession of Nuclear weapons makes them a super power.
I certainly can’t wait until Quantrell Mugambo XII is out of the White House. Good riddance.
“Both Russia and China will use it as an excuse to do something that they want to do.”
Something they most likely are already doing.
How much this is like “Don’t do that or you will
encourage the terrorists!”.
IIRC, and not too long ago, Russia withdrew from the arms treaty because Obama was playing games...saying that Russia violated it...but it was simply blah, blah, blah on Obama’s part.
SDI never worked....except to make the Russians spend a bunch
Who’s to say Obungo didn’t broker another deal and make even more kickbacks during this negotiation right before he’s about to leave?
I really hope oblameO has really good protection when he leaves the WH with all the enemies he’s making on his way out.
History will never look kindly on the President who did his best to take America down by helping Islam ruin the world.
What a shame. There will never be another first black President whom the country could be proud of; just the traitor he is and always will be. No second chances to make a good first impression. He blew it big time. What a shame and now the black population has to wear that shame forever.
Given its obama, the bill is likely less “Star Wars” and more “dances with the stars” wars.
Momentous, my azz. Odumbo is merely trying to piggyback a policy he knows Trump will institute so that he, Odumbo, can down the road say he thought of it first. Merely more of Odumbo meaningless smoke and mirrors.
War against climate change.
I hope Trump puts a stop to Muslims,who are incompatible with our system,from entering the us.
I wonder how many are already hear illagally,too?
I have spent his entire Presidency repeating the thought the he is America's first Black President and is seriously working on being America's last.
Let’s be very clear....and IMHO...North Korea and Iran in possession of Nuclear weapons makes them a super power.
North Korea has commodore 64s that use floppy disks, and people still think it’s a nuclear power. In all likelyhood, North Korea is a CIA psyop, and not a nuclear power. It’s an excuse to keep the sixth fleet in the western Pacific. At least that is what the US ambassador to China James Lilly (who was in the CIA and worked with George HW Bush for 30 years) hinted at to Wm Engdahl. North Korea is not a superpower.
This is interesting:
Don’t hope he has good protection.
I get your point; I hope you got mine too. :)
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