But in fine DC form, the political class kicked the can down the road, hoping they could kick it far enough that they would not have to deal with it until they were safely retired from Congress and collecting hefty consulting fees.
Could missile targeting be assisted by someone on the target, such as a passenger with a small, low power homing device? What if, just for the sake of argument, Homeland Security knows about a different kind of terrorist event planned for the holidays and that’s why they’re plying hardball on inspecting even toddlers. I’m not saying it’s so, and I’m sure not saying the ends justifies the means, but the Israeli security model is built on the assumption that the terrorist inflicting the damage will be in or close to the aircraft at the time of detonation. What if we have intel suggesting a whole new model has been developed that doesn’t require an in-person trigger-person? Suppose that, well away from the airport, a terrorist gives a child a piece of candy with an altitude triggered signaling device used to guide an otherwise inaccurate missile directly to its target? If our intel hasn’t caught up with the terrorist ground units, how would we defend against an attack like that, other than, as you say, countermeasures from the plane itself, be it evasion or otherwise?