Posted on 11/09/2010 8:05:31 AM PST by Gennie
(CBS) A mysterious missile launch off the southern California coast was caught by CBS affiliate KCBS's cameras Monday night, and officials are staying tight-lipped over the nature of the projectile.
CBS station KFMB put in calls to the Navy and Air Force Monday night about the striking launch off the coast of Los Angeles, which was easily visible from the coast, but the military has said nothing about the launch.
KFMB showed video of the apparent missile to former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Robert Ellsworth, who is also a former Deputy Secretary of Defense, to get his thoughts.
Scroll down for KFMB video showing the launch.
Video here
"It's spectacular… It takes people's breath away," said Ellsworth, calling the projectile, "a big missile".
Magnificent images were captured by the KCBS news helicopter in L.A. around sunset Monday evening. The location of the missile was about 35 miles out to sea, west of L.A. and north of Catalina Island.
A Navy spokesperson told KFMB it wasn't their missile. He said there was no Navy activity reported in the area Monday evening.
On Friday night, Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California, launched a Delta II rocket, carrying an Italian satellite into orbit, but a sergeant at the base told KFMB there had been no launches since then.
Ellsworth urged American to wait for definitive answers to come from the military.
When asked, however, what he thought it might be, the former ambassador said it could possibly have been a missile test timed as a demonstration of American military might as President Obama tours Asia.
"It could be a test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile from a submarine … to demonstrate, mainly to Asia, that we can do that," speculated Ellsworth.
Ellsworth said such tests were carried out in the Atlantic to demonstrate America's power to the Soviets, when there was a Soviet Union, but he doesn't believe an ICBM has previously been tested by the U.S. over the Pacific.
Officially, at least, the projectile remains a mystery missile.
What about NORAD, don’t they have the COG for this?
It's either some malfunction on a US sub, or it's an enemy sub that's invaded US waters and launched a provocation that borders on an act of war.
You’re right- the Pentagon says they “have no clue”...
Either a REALLY bad lie ...orrrr... they have no clue??
The Pentagon really doesn't know anything about is something I don't want to contemplate.
Has C3F put to sea? Where are the pingers?
Our CIC would fold like a cheap suit, he’d be under the desk sniveling.
It was a weather balloon.
You may need to move your mouse around a little- but click in the middle of the screen and it should play.
There is more 'pressing' business on the table such as continued assimilation of active gays into prominent positions in the Air Force and Navy.
I will repeat my story about the TWA 800 coverage that day.
I happened to be home, watching cable network news. I heard the initial breaking news about the crash, and BEFORE ANYONE HAD EVEN REPORTED IT MIGHT BE A MISSILE, within 5 minutes of the initial report, there was a graphic on TV that explained how it could not have been a missile, but was the nose ascending after the explosion.
The watermark on the computer-generated graphic video was NSA (and then spelled out) National Security Agency.
Kinda odd for the NSA to put out a graphic within 5 minutes of the event claiming it couldn't have been a missile, when no one had even mentioned missile yet.
Later, the same graphic was rebranded FAA and replayed extensively.
That's when I knew something nefarious had gone on.
Bingo!
In my America it’s not possible the Pentagon doesnt know what this is...
UPDATE
Pentagon has no clue who launched this missle
Me either. Attack boats yea sure. But a Diesel Boomer? Er... uhhh not so much. Unless it was a retro fit boat, and that would be QUITE the retrofit. I can’t imagine how that would go with out notice... taking out a nuclear power plant is not like changing the oil in a car or even as simple as replacing an engine.
The Pentagon acting like it is is giving me the heebeejeebies. A launch like this is not a little deal. It is a VERY very big deal.
That’s just the union pensions blowing the CA budget into the stratosphere. Nothing to see here.
There certainly is...recently put on the market by a private Russian concern.
See article here:
there has been reports of china building these superships. There was a book written a while back about chinese invasion of the world, and they used superships, some were pure missile ships and would overwhelm defenses by sheer volume of incoming fire and some were massive troop transports. It was called Invasion. Sure it was a fictional story, but when I saw the article about these massive ships being built and the secrecy around them, makes one wonder.
Michelle Malkin:
So the Pentagon has no explanation for the mystery missile spotted off the southern California coast last night.
“The operative word is ‘unexplainable,’” a Pentagon spokesman said.
I guess they’ll tell us the “system is working.”
Perhaps the most interesting theory: Obama was showing off to Asia while on his jaunt.
So why not just be upfront with the American people and say so?
Well, we know this administration already has a pre-existing problem with leveling with the American people about unidentified flying objects involved in p.r. campaigns.
Remember Scare Force One? That transparency-evading scandal led to the resignation of White House Military Office director Louis Caldera.
Stay tuned…
Bad link
Agreed- this is a very odd reaction and not one that provides comfort.
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