Ft. Greely, Alaska Get 1st Missile Defense Interceptor

[xlt66]

DoD Ushers in New Missile Defense Capability
By Sgt. 1st Class Doug Sample, USA
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 23, 2004 -- A historic moment took place July 22 at Fort Greely, Alaska, as the first ground-based missile interceptor was placed in an underground silo at the missile defense complex there.


http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jul2...004072304.html

[plazul]

The window of opportunity isn't open very long for an ABM to intercept an ICBM launch. It would be interesting to see the guidance and targeting systems for the interceptor.

Still, I think such well publicized ABM deployments are the red herring of our 21st Century missile defense system.

[Pearl Harbor]

Sometimes Red Herrings are not. In other words, the intended outcome is realized even though the actual event/announcement/etc. was a red herring.

SDI comes to mind.

The Germans, Italians, and Japanese were fed "Red Herrings" by U.S. intelligence all through the war. (WWII) It worked like a charm.

[plazul]

Yes, the remarkable thing about disinformation is that it often gives rise to the real thing. SDI was, in large part, a strategic disinformation campaign designed to fool the Soviets into thinking that we had made technological breakthroughs that would make space based missile defense viable through a major investment in R&D.

Ronald Reagan's outward enthusiasm and optimism about the project along with his unprecedented suggestion that we share SDI technology with the Soviets drove the KGB bonkers.

But sure enough, we now have tactical high energy lasers on the ground, liquid lasers, and a host of other SDI breakthroughs that might make space based laser warfare a reality in the near future. All we need is practical energy source and a platform that can withstand the output.