Missile defense in place in Alaska, but will it work?

The Seattle Times ^ | July 17, 2005 | Alex Fryer

[rmmcdaniell]

These interceptors we have now use conventional explosives? right?

Would they not be more effective if they had nuclear tips? I hope we are not hobbling our missle defense because we could not test such nuclear-tipped interceptors on account of the atmospheric test ban treaty.

[GOPJ]

Thanks for the ping.

[tarator]

These interceptors we have now use conventional explosives? right?

I don't think they use any explosives. The interceptor actually collides with the target.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

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A big day today for our National Security.

Despite Enemy Within BARBARA BOXER's doing all that she can to kill America's own Missile Defense System from the very start.

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[ConservativeMan55]

I heard there might be something going down with our borders.

Coburn explains his lone nay vote.

[The Spirit Of Allegiance]

Though it does help that along with the enemy's new uncertainty of our defensive capability, that the enemy also has to know with certainty that we will retaliate offensively with a nuclear response EVEN IF their nuclear attack is entirely shot down.

I LOVE the smell of Star Wars in the morning!

Beats the fatalistic "Mutual Assured Destruction" mantra of my old polisci classes of the '70s.

[KamperKen]

The direct cost for the destruction of only two skyscrapers in NYC was over 100 billion dollars. The overall indirect economic losses were probably several hundred billion more. $36.1 billion? Strikes me as relatively cheap insurance. Anyone care to calculate the costs of a direct hit on a major US city? I'm sure its been done and the number dwarfs whatever the development and deployment cost of an ABM system.

Will it work? Well, that question looms as large if not larger for anyone contemplating launching an attack as it does for us.

Also, as I recall, the Polaris SLBM's failed their first several dozen tests. And I was chilled to read recently that Leonid Brezhnev wanted to launch a nuclear attack on America but what was ultimately deterred by those same SLBMs in the US arsenal that failed so many early tests.

[neverdem]

tarator is correct. These are kinetic energy kill vehicles.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

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National Security leaks at our Southern Borders =

N.Y Senators HILLARY & SCHUMMER both vote NO to a Homeland Security Senate Bill that would increase our U.S. Border Guards by 2,000.

NUTS.

[El Gato]

Debris — possibly including plutonium — either drifts in orbit or is incinerated as it falls to Earth.

Almost certainly including plutonium. Incineration makes no difference, other than possibly to make the resulting plutonium oxide(s) less reactive. The stuff is still radioactive.

One must remember however that the alternative is a nuclear explosion on US (or Canadian) soil, likely over a major city. I'll take a minor increase in the cancer rate over millions of people being incinerated.

[El Gato]

It doesn't have to work perfectly.

It is sufficient that it introduces uncertainty into a potential opponent's calculations.

With Little Kim, it matters if it works. He's too loony to care about effectiveness of his attack or possible retaliation.

[Looking4Truth]

"In a bulldozed clearing of moose-inhabited river delta"

WTF is this supposed to mean?

Do the moose still inhabit the river delta?

Did the bulldozers clear the river delta so that it is unhabitable?

MSM idiots should get a clue.

[El Gato]

These interceptors we have now use conventional explosives? right? Would they not be more effective if they had nuclear tips? I hope we are not hobbling our missle defense because we could not test such nuclear-tipped interceptors on account of the atmospheric test ban treaty.

We once deployed (part of) a system that used nuclear armed interceptors. It was around 1970. It consisted of a short range missile (Sprint) and a long range missile (Spartan). The whole system went by various names, Safeguard being one of them.The missiles were housed in underground silos. The atmospheric test ban treaty did indeed kill the system, along with the usual left wing "Ban the (American) Bomb" types.

See Stanley R. Mickelsen Safeguard Complex unofficial site for more information.

[July 4th]

This will be something visionary - like the Iraq War - that people will look upon with great respect and admiration 30 years from now. I already do in both cases, but as the world changes and China and North Korea continue to develop their weapons, I think the great majority of people in the future will be glad that we were planning today.

[vpintheak]

Silly, it's because it is happening under a Republican administration!

[neverdem]

N.Y Senators HILLARY & SCHUMER both vote NO to a Homeland Security Senate Bill that would increase our U.S. Border Guards by 2,000.

Senate shuns attempt to add agents

FReepmail me if you want on or off my New York ping list. I regret another ping to this thread, but some may want to make a note of this Washington Times story about Hillary's and Schumer's votes on the matter of border security.

[RightWhale]

The Sprint was amazing. Zero to mach 8 in one second.

[RightWhale]

How much is a city worth? Seattle?

[El Gato]

The Sprint was amazing. Zero to mach 8 in one second.

And if it missed and didn't detonate, it wasn't coming back to earth, IIRC.

[kimosabe31]

bump