by Robert G. Gard and John Isaacs The recent missile launches by North Korea and Hezbollah’s rocket attacks on Israel underline the extreme difficulty in defending against missiles of all ranges and the fact that despite more than 50 years of research, the United States has yet to deploy an effective and reliable missile defense system. […]
The Illusion of Operational Readiness of National Missile Defense
by Robert G. Gard and John Isaacs The Pentagon’s ground-based, mid-course missile defense system (GMD), formerly called by the more descriptive name National Missile Defense, is being developed and deployed to intercept one or a very few warheads launched by inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM) against the United States. The administration is requesting $10.4 billion for missile […]
The Pathetic State of National Missile Defense
by John Isaacs The Bush Administration planned to deploy a National Missile Defense in 2004, claiming that it could protect the United States from a small attack from North Korean nuclear-tipped missiles. It failed, and it failed miserably. The most recent flight test on December 15, 2004, the first in two years, would have been […]
Current Status of Missile Defense Program
by John Isaacs Current national missile defense deployment plans The initial deployment of land-based interceptors designed to smash into enemy warheads headed toward the U.S. is scheduled for calendar 2004. The Pentagon originally announced plans to deploy 10 interceptors in Alaska and California by September 2004, just before the election. It is likely that the […]
National Missile Defense: Not Ready for Prime Time
SPECIAL REPORT INITIAL DEPLOYMENT The Administration intends to deploy an initial operating capability of a ground-based strategic ballistic missile defense system (GMD), designed to attack incoming missiles in their mid-course phase of flight, beginning in the summer of 2004. Initial defensive operations will be declared before the end of September of this year. The current […]
