Obama and the new missile shield, provocation or strategy?

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• 
  Bryan Hiestand · University of California, San Diego

  It's a simple hedge. If sanctions against Iran fail or backfire, or DPRK heats up, a missile shield capable of intercepting a small number of missiles can help mitigate the threat. Given the quantity and sophistication of Russia's nuclear arsenal, it is highly unlikely the US will be able to defend against any real barrage. The system is designed for small numbers of missiles, probably less than a dozen. If it was capable of taking out hundreds or thousands of missiles, complete with decoys, it would cost in the trillions of dollars. Russia's making a stink and trying to get concessions. The US wants to ensure Iran, North Korea, and any future rogue state with a limited nuclear capability doesn't have a real deterrence capability.

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  It's a simple hedge. If sanctions against Iran fail or backfire, or DPRK heats up, a missile shield capable of intercepting a small number of missiles can help mitigate the threat. Given the quantity and sophistication of Russia's nuclear arsenal, it is highly unlikely the US will be able to defend against any real barrage.
  
  The system is designed for small numbers of missiles, probably less than a dozen. If it was capable of taking out hundreds or thousands of missiles, complete with decoys, it would cost in the trillions of dollars.
  
  Russia's making a stink and trying to get concessions. The US wants to ensure Iran, North Korea, and any future rogue state with a limited nuclear capability doesn't have a real deterrence capability.

  Mar 27, 2012
• 
  Carl Clark ·

  Thanks Bryan, both me and you know the capabilities of a missile sheild but the man on the street does not , the billions that are now going to be spent are like pouring money into a bottomless pit for the U.S, similar to the star wars project over a trillion dollars was pumped in? what are the results only a few people at DARPA, NASA, Special Projects Space Command, and the Pentagon will ever know where money went as 90% was classified, its a licence to print money and to lose it wherever. The money put aside by the U.S government for bribes and compensation to families in Iraq and Afghanistan, has reached 100 billion $, where is that money taken from?, I fear accountability in managing money has gone out of the window that is why the U.S find themselves almost bankrupt unless they keep feeding their military industrial corporations, which accounts now for over 10% of U.S workers, thats also why the U.S must always be in conflict. I once talked to a senior CIA official, we talked about U.S strategy in the world and also about peace, he replied " Peace is not an option for us, we thrive on war and conflict, our whole economy is rigged to that one aspect, even that leaves us in trouble financially, so where do you think peace would take us? into a spiral out of control and would leave us like a third world country, if the american patriot knew what I know he would weep for our country". I see the missile sheild as just that another sheild of something to hide behind where there will be no transparency and money will be filtered out into other areas which no one are accountable to.

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  Thanks Bryan, both me and you know the capabilities of a missile sheild but the man on the street does not , the billions that are now going to be spent are like pouring money into a bottomless pit for the U.S, similar to the star wars project over a trillion dollars was pumped in? what are the results only a few people at DARPA, NASA, Special Projects Space Command, and the Pentagon will ever know where money went as 90% was classified, its a licence to print money and to lose it wherever.
  The money put aside by the U.S government for bribes and compensation to families in Iraq and Afghanistan, has reached 100 billion $, where is that money taken from?, I fear accountability in managing money has gone out of the window that is why the U.S find themselves almost bankrupt unless they keep feeding their military industrial corporations, which accounts now for over 10% of U.S workers, thats also why the U.S must always be in conflict.
  
  I once talked to a senior CIA official, we talked about U.S strategy in the world and also about peace, he replied " Peace is not an option for us, we thrive on war and conflict, our whole economy is rigged to that one aspect, even that leaves us in trouble financially, so where do you think peace would take us? into a spiral out of control and would leave us like a third world country, if the american patriot knew what I know he would weep for our country". I see the missile sheild as just that another sheild of something to hide behind where there will be no transparency and money will be filtered out into other areas which no one are accountable to.

  Mar 28, 2012