WEDNESDAY PDB – But, Can Donald Trump really build an Iron Dome over America? “We will replenish our military and build an Iron Dome missile defense system to ensure that no enemy can strike our homeland,” Donald Trump promised at the recent Republican Party convention.
“Israel has an Iron Dome. They have a missile defense system,” he said. “Why should other countries have this, and we don’t?”
This very liberal author says that the answer is no.
For one thing, it is technically impossible to build a system that can protect the U.S. from ballistic missile attack.
It is not for lack of trying. Since President Ronald Reagan announced his ambitious Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) in 1983, also known as ‘Star Wars,’ we have spent more than $415 billion and employed the best scientists in the effort. Nothing has worked.
All we have to show for the effort is a basic system of 44 ground-based interceptors deployed in Alaska and California. Under ideal test conditions they have been able to hit a target only half of the time. The program is essentially on hold while a new interceptor is designed.
Trump may mean that we can simply deploy a U.S.-built version of Israel’s Iron Dome. That system works fairly well; why not simply build an American version?
Because Iron Dome is designed to intercept short-range rockets, not intercontinental ballistic missiles. Each Iron Dome system can defend an area of roughly 150 square miles. We would need to deploy more than 24,700 Iron Dome batteries to defend the 3.7 million square miles of the continental U.S. At $100 million per battery, that would be approximately $2,470,000,000,000 ($2.5 trillion).
YES, BUT PERHAPS THE SYSTEM SHOULD FOCUS ON KEY STRATEGIC SITES AND MAJOR CITIES. AND NOT THE ENTIRE COUNTRY.
THAT IS VERY DOABLE.
MEANWHILE, IT’S BETTER TO KEEP OUR ENEMIES, LIKE IRAN, FROM GETTING NUKES IN THE FIRST PLACE.
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense stories from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.
Not the President’s Daily Brief, but almost as good – PAUL’S DAILY BRIEFING – the PDB:
NATIONAL SECURITY
YES – US needs more nuclear subs, mobile ICBMs and tactical nukes: Heritage report. U.S. should diversify its arsenal of nuclear weapons with additional Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines and a road-mobile variant of the forthcoming Sentinel ICBM.
Rebuilding the US Navy won’t be easy. But it can be done with the help of shipbuilding allies and more money to train defense-industry workers.
HOMELAND SECURITY – LAW ENFORCEMENT
The military must stop ignoring the Southern border. The outgoing chief of the National Guard Bureau recently told senators that assigning troops to the southern border has “no military training value” and was detrimental to military readiness. HE IS WRONG.
POLITICS
Americans divided on whether US should keep funding Ukraine: Pew Research Center survey.
With democracy in balance, veterans take up new fight at home. Fearful of rising political violence and declining democratic norms, Chris Purdy is organizing veterans to fight both.
BUT BIDEN-HARRIS ARE GIVING BILLIONS TO ILLEGAL ALIENS. A nearly $3 billion shortfall in VA disability and education benefits is looming — the Senate has proposed a fix, but time is running out.
US POWER OVERSEAS
Is this unit the future of Army combat formations? Soldiers out of Hawaii are building a new, agile type of unit that could be the future when it comes to how the Army fields ground combat forces in far-flung West Pacific battlefields.
US, Ukrainian navies practice mine countermeasures off Scotland for Sea Breeze 2024. The Russo-Ukrainian War continues to slog toward its third year, the U.S. and Ukrainian navies are already preparing for the aftermath once the war ends.
Outback field hospital backs up Marines during Australian littoral combat drills. U.S. Marines transformed a clearing at this remote training area into a field hospital complete with an operating room and intensive care unit during ongoing drills with their Australian counterparts.
ISRAEL’S WAR AGAINST TERROR
WELL DONE! – Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh is killed in Iran by an alleged Israeli strike, threatening escalation. He was killed by a predawn airstrike in the Iranian capital Wednesday. The shock assassination risks escalating the conflict even as the U.S. and other nations were scrambling to prevent an all-out regional war. Iran’s supreme leader vowed revenge against Israel.
Who are Hamas’s top leaders? What to know after killing of Ismail Haniyeh.
Who is Fuad Shukr, target of the Israeli strike on Beirut? He is also wanted for his role in a 1983 attack in Beirut that killed some 300 American and French soldiers.
US will defend Israel if Hezbollah attacks from Lebanon, SECDEF Austin says. Diplomats continued to race Tuesday to fend off war between Israel and Lebanon.
IRAN THREAT
US carries out ‘defensive’ (preemptive) airstrike in Iraq. The airstrike targeted militants preparing to launch a one-way attack drone.
CHINA THREAT
Gap between US, China naval shipbuilding is ‘deeply concerning.’ “We have to do better in this arena, or we will not be the great naval power that we need to be for the 21st century
RUSSIA THREAT – UKRAINE WAR
Will Russia deploy offensive missiles capable of striking Europe? Vladimir Putin said he will if the U.S. follows through on its promise to deploy similar capabilities in Germany in 2026.
Incoming F-16s not a ‘golden bullet’ for Ukraine, but they are an upgrade. They cannot deliver instant air superiority over Russia’s robust Russian air defenses, but they will allow Kyiv to transition to a Western-style air force and better employ U.S. munitions.
As war gets bleaker, more Ukrainians appear open to a peace deal. Most Ukrainians still oppose ceding any territory to Russia. But polls and recent remarks by the country’s leaders highlight a palpable shift in the conversation around peace talks.
INTERNATIONAL SECURITY
Venezuela’s military chief backs Maduro and calls the protests over disputed election a ‘coup.’ This, following strongman Nicolás Maduro’s disputed victory in the weekend’s election. The country’s opposition leaders say they won the vote by a significant margin. At least six people have been killed in unrest that has followed.
Chinese, Russian warships sail around Japanese islands. A Chinese unmanned aerial vehicle also operated around Japan on Sunday and Monday.
Myanmar embattled junta extends emergency rule for six months amid escalating conflict. This, as the junta struggles to maintain its grip on power with fighting flaring on multiple fronts and the economy in crisis.
UK discreetly launches global MQ-9B drone users’ club for allies. The operators club in Europe is open to NATO and non-NATO members operating or interested in acquiring the long-range drone that will be granted training access at an in-country flight facility.
US MILITARY
Inside the recovery of MIA Americans from a secret jungle base. A team of scientists trained at the U.S Marine Mountain Warfare Training Center to prepare for their search for missing Americans.
Air Force ‘taking a pause’ on NGAD next-gen stealth fighter. This, after months of hinting at a disruption in the program.
Army wants a more powerful missile for its new medium-range air-defense system. Give me AMRAAM capability in the Sidewinder-firing IFPC, missile chief says.
WATCH: M270 Multiple Launch Rocket System light up the sky in live-fire.
WATCH: Apache helicopters launch Hellfire missiles at a decommissioned vessel during RIMPAC 2024
END of PDB
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Trump is a visionary for what this country needs to survive. History will prove his creation of our Space Force was instrumental in our country’s survival.
Biden and Harris have weakened this country a lot to help their buddies in Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Russia just to mention a few. In the old days they would call that treason. This country has been so stupid as to help these vermin finance their goal. I hope this country won’t be stupid enough to vote Harris in. If we can run these commies out of the USA, breathing or not, we may stand a chance at building an iron dome system. We can pay for this by foreclosing on all the real estate they have purchased and send them packing back to China. Anyone caught dealing in the drug industry we can bag them and ship them back to Xi collect. Send Xi a bill for the cost of dealing with covid. Do the same thing with Biden and company. No reason he should be allowed to make billions off his position and get to keep it. All these in grates have screwed this country and the people way to long and got away with it. Everyone that is connected with this scam should be prosecuted and punished.