World War III, anyone?
#----------------------------------------------
U.S. puts faith in missile defense
By Rowan Scarborough
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
June 24, 2006
The general in charge of developing a U.S. missile defense expressed
confidence yesterday that the system would be able to shoot down an
intercontinental missile should North Korea fire a three-stage rocket
and the flight path threaten the United States.
"From what I've seen from our testing from the last several years
... and what I know about the system and its capabilities, I'm very
confident," Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry A. "Trey" Obering III told Reuters
news service.
The prediction keeps the pressure on the Stalinist regime, which
U.S. intelligence specialists think is preparing to launch a long-range
Taepodong-2 missile at a test facility in northeastern North Korea.
Gen. Obering's remark came the day after his Missile Defense Agency
executed the seventh successful test of a sea-launched interceptor off
the coast of Hawaii. While not necessarily timed for the current crisis,
the Pacific Ocean test showed North Korea in dramatic fashion that the
U.S. is ready to fire sea- or land-based interceptors to knock down a
warhead during what is called the "mid-term stage" outside the Earth's
atmosphere.
Earlier, on Thursday, White House National Security Adviser Stephen
J. Hadley said President Bush is prepared to order an intercept if
necessary. Former Defense Secretary William J. Perry urged the
administration to respond to any launch with an air strike to destroy
the new version of the multistage Taepodong-2.
The U.S., along with allies, is now engaged in extensive talks with
North Korea to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its development of nuclear
weapons. It is thought to already have two to four warheads. Analysts
say the regime may be moving to launch a missile capable of carrying
weapons of mass destruction as a way to somehow improve its current
bargaining position. The new type of Taepodong-2 missile is thought to
have a range of more than 5,000 miles, meaning it could reach Alaska or
even the West Coast.
The U.S. acknowledges there is much it does not know about North
Korea's intentions. Satellite photos have detected fuel trucks at the
missile site, but it is not clear how much actual preparation has been
made and any actual payload is also unknown. It conceivably could be a
satellite North Korea wants to put into orbit, or a dummy warhead
typically used in testing.
"It's very, very difficult to understand what they may have, how it
may perform," the Associated Press quoted Gen. Obering as saying.
It is that uncertainty that has the Bush administration actively
debating under what circumstances to try to shoot the missile down. One
possible risk would be that the interceptor misses the North Korean
missile, exposing the defense system as severely flawed.
Asked by CNN about the option of destroying the Taepodong-2 on the
launch pad, Vice President Dick Cheney said, "I think at this stage we
are addressing the issue in the proper fashion. And I think, obviously,
if you're going to launch a strike at another nation you'd better be
prepared to not just fire one shot. ... I think the issue is being
addressed appropriately."
The limited U.S. missile defense system today includes 11
ground-base interceptors in Alaska and Standard Missile-3s aboard
Aegis-class cruisers at sea.
Japan, which cringed as North Korea test-fired a Taepodong above its
territory in 1998, has joined the defense system by agreeing to host a
huge high-resolution tracking radar, now in use.
Yesterday, Japan and the U.S. moved to strengthen the cooperation by
signing new agreements on joint research.
On Thursday's successful sea-launched interceptor, Gen. Obering
said, "We are continuing to see great success with the very challenging
technology of hit-to-kill -- a technology that is used for all of our
missile defense ground- and sea-based interceptor missiles."
#-----------------------------------------------
Regards,
LelandJ
_______________________________________________
Post Messages to: [email protected]
Subscription Maintenance: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profox
OT-free version of this list: http://leafe.com/mailman/listinfo/profoxtech
** All postings, unless explicitly stated otherwise, are the opinions of the
author, and do not constitute legal or medical advice. This statement is added
to the messages for those lawyers who are too stupid to see the obvious.
