On Sunday , a ground - based interceptor fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base destroyed a mock foe load launched from the Marshall Islands . The Pentagon hail it as a majorsuccessfor the troubled national projectile defense scheme , which has be $ 40 billion since 2004 . But , in truth , it changes little .
As I previouslywrote , the U.S. Ground - Based Midcourse Defense ( GMD ) organization has been plagued by mismanagement and plan flaw since the Bush administration decided to rush it into development ten years ago . The National Academy of Sciences ’ National Research Council write a 260 - page study , saying that the U.S. Missile Defense Agency ’s efforts “ have spawned an almost ‘ hobby shop ’ coming , with many false start on poorly analyzed construct . ” Yet , despite numerous fail tests , the U.S. spent billions deploy 30 interceptor missile at Fort Greeley , Alaska , and Vandenberg Air Force Base , California . The Pentagon allege it plans to deploy another 14 interceptor in Alaska by 2017 . Meanwhile , Congress has authorise financial support for a third site on the East Coast .
https://gizmodo.com/heres-why-the-u-s-missile-defense-system-is-utterly-br-1573758902
To particular date , one of the most problematic elements of the GMD system has been the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle ( EKV ) , which is mounted on the interceptor . The EKV is hypothesize to detach , detect and destroy the incoming threat by flying into outer space and striking the target missile at velocities approaching 22,000 miles per hour . The EKV that was test on Sunday — the first test since 2008 — is called the CE - II , and was designed to compensate flaws with the other loop , the CE - I.
So , that ’s case for celebration , good ? Eh , not so much . Here are several reasons to control your enthusiasm :
This was a “ written test ” ( what critics sometimes call “ a strapped - down volaille ” ) . medical specialist operating the system knew the target area warhead ’s precise dimension , expected flight , speed and time of launching — information they would not have in the event of an actual projectile attack . In real life story , the challenges of hitting a slug with a bullet — peculiarly if the incoming projectile deploys any of the myriadtypesof decoys and countermeasure — stay redoubtable .
Prior to Sunday , 8 of the 16 tests have end in failure . The CE - II has been tested only doubly before , and missed both time . So , the test record is one - for - three . “ batten .333 may be great in baseball game , but against nuclear - tipped missiles it is but inadequate,”writesTom Collina of the Arms Control Association .
As the Government Accountability Officepointed outearlier this month , the system is still a epitome : “ There ’s a whole series of tests to fully test out the [ CE - II ] potentiality that go into the early 2020s as planned . So , we ’re still just in the early stages of proving this matter out . ”
Despite the fact that the CE - II remains in the prototype stage , with a one - in - three platter and quiz under controlled condition , the governing will continue deploy it . Ten of the interceptors currently in place carry the CE - II . The other 20 are fitted with the earlier variant and will have to be substitute . Plus , the Pentagon will be purchasing and deploying 14 additional interceptors , at an additionalcostof around $ 1 billion .
The same citizenry creditworthy for cheat - up this project over the last ten years are the same ones who will be confide with ready it . And , if you ’re place your Hope on Congressional supervising of the plan , blank out it . As the Los Angeles Times recentlyreported : “ Despite GMD ’s problems , influential member of Congress have protect its funding and are pushing to sum silos and interceptor in the Eastern U.S. at a likely cost of billions of one dollar bill . Boeing Co. manages the system for the Pentagon . Raytheon Co. manufactures the killing vehicle . yard of jobs in five State Department , mostly in Alabama and Arizona , depend directly or indirectly on the political program . ” And , those interceptor launching site bring money into the states that domiciliate the fundament . Right now , they ’re popping champagne corks inHuntsville , Alabama and atFort Greely , Alaska .
Rather than retain to throw good money after bad , critic of the current GMD system are advocating a redesign . Philip Coyle , the former Director of Operational Test and Evaluation at the Department of Defense , make out astatementsaying , “ We demand to check that we have a organisation that works , not dilate a organisation we know to be deep flawed . ”
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