Ballistic Missile Defense Panel

[averageworkinggal]

The Brdy, Czech Republic radar site has gone down in flames.

The opposition in the Czech parliament is too strong.

The Czech government abandoned seeking a vote on approval since they could count the votes and knew they would lose.

So, it looks like Slovenia, maybe.

A Russian Think-Tanker said that Slovenia was OK with Russia.

[cangeloc127]

The Missile Defense Agency and the Heritage Foundation have assembled a marvelous project in this presentation. The capabilities of missile defense are and have been astronomically wonderful, and I don't doubt that both organizations will want to extend America's missile defense shield for the future. I might enjoy exploring the specifics, but already, I like what I see of missile defense. Godspeed and good luck to Heritage and the MDA in this endeavor, and may God watch over America.

[averageworkinggal]

The problem is years of delays in flight testing. Flight Test restructuring occurred to address prior failures that were primarily due to glitches, such an a failed EKV deployment or an interceptor launch abort.

Boeing has been slow to deliver on major items like the SBX.

The SBX may not have been included in this test because it was not ready.

They do have a progressive step building block approach to the Flight Tests to incrementally test upgraded capabilities in the system.

[Causa10bserver]

It seems rstora01 slept through the beginning of this video where the current proliferation of missile technology to "non-state" (terrorist) groups by nations that are developing missiles with ranges well beyond their regional needs is cited. Also, these nations already have or are developing nuclear capabilities. Let's hope that the incoming administration and it's tame congress deem protecting us from this very real threat more important than buying votes and paying back campaign contributions

[rstora01]

That film was a great propaganda piece. 1st any attack on the u.s. would be against military targets not cities. missile defense primary purpose will be to protect the strategic deterrence from attack. Anything else would be ineffective.

[averageworkinggal]

Also, Russia is going all out with propaganda to get Europe to oppose the GMD Eurosites.

Placing GMD close to Russia gave them a basis for propaganda and was a poor political decision. A mobile sea-based Euro approach would have made it easier to blunt Russian propaganda. 70% in the Czech Republic oppose the GBR-P radar deployment.

[averageworkinggal]

You have to face reality.

The Dems won the election and the Dems have wanted to kill GMD for years.

Now, with the Dems in charge and facing a $trillion budget deficit and talking about cutting defense 25%, is there anyway to stop them from killing GMD?

Certainly the GMD Eurosites if not the US sites.

One failed flight test may be all the Dems need to move to kill GMD (Ground-based Midcourse Defense Segment).

[cmatos2007]

Well we had a successful test last week! So we will see.

[averageworkinggal]

Well (Reagan impersonation), the critics are already blathering away that the decoys from the target complex did not deploy so the test was really a failure.

I don't doubt that with the addition of the Multiple Kill Vehicle and the ability to salvo interceptors that the GMD system will be very effective, but the problem is it is taking so long to build up and test the system capabilities to demonstrate that the system will be effective. MDA needs to push Boeing harder to make progress.

[cmatos2007]

Well, some corrections.....back to any critics

First off, the countermeasure issue is not a Boeing issue. That is a government issue. Boeing did their job. Boeing doesn't design the target.

Second, to say that test is a failure is a MAJOR leap. Yes, that issue is the most important at this point. But at the same time, there are other successful things that come from this test that the public does not know about. Also, there has been successful intercepts involving that issue.