McCain Moves to Block Funding for F-22 Jets
Sen. John McCain, along with Michigan Democrat Carl Levin, files an amendment to cut extra money for seven more F-22's -- in an unusual alliance with President Obama.
WASHINGTON -- Sen. John McCain, in an unusual alliance with the Obama administration, moved Monday to eliminate $1.75 billion recently inserted into the proposed 2010 defense budget for more fighter jets from Lockheed Martin.
The Arizona Republican, along with Michigan Democrat Carl Levin, filed an amendment to cut the extra money for seven more F-22's. The Senate Armed Services Committee last month narrowly approved the additional funding requested by Georgia Republican Saxby Chambliss.
McCain and Levin, the committee's chairman, voted against the additional funds. The full Senate may vote on the defense spending bill this week. The House last month voted to include a $369 million down payment for 12 additional fighters to its version of the defense bill.
View Source Here
With our aging military equipment, it looks like we are headed for another arms race...
The most powerful battlefield laser in development, and one of the most ambitious weapon systems to date, the Airborne Laser is designed to prove that a megawatt-class chemical laser mounted on a large aircraft (in this case, a 747) can shoot down a long-range ballistic missile before it escapes the atmosphere.
Critics have long derided every aspect of the project, from its cost overruns to the limited scope and Hollywood overtones of its proposed mission. What nation would be reckless enough to launch a missile at the United States, and foolish enough to telegraph the blow, providing the advance warning necessary to deploy a laser-armed 747?
Read More From Source Here
But, is the Internet where we really need to focus our attention?
Showing posts with label missles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label missles. Show all posts
Monday, July 13, 2009
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
North Korean Taepodong-2 Missile On Launch Pad.
U.S. official indicates North Korea missile is on pad Reuters
Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:22pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. official did not dispute on Wednesday a Japanese media report that North Korea has positioned what is believed to be a Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile on a launch pad at its Musudanri facility.
"I'm not going to steer you away from what's been reported," said a U.S. counterproliferation official. The official referred to a report by Kyodo news agency which cited "sources close to Japan-U.S. relations."
(Reporting by Paul Eckert; Editing by Eric Walsh)
*****************************************************************************
'US Advised Not to Overreact to NK Missile Launch' - Korean Times
Frank Jannuzi,
a staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Frank Jannuzi, a staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has urged President Barack Obama's administration not to overreact to a North Korean missile test, expected in early April.
In a seminar organized by the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., March 23, he advised reviving missile talks with North Korea in a bid to solve the issue.
The secretive state told international organizations on aviation early this month that it will launch a ``satellite'' into orbit between April 4 and 8, but the outside world has not ruled out the possibility of it testing a long-range missile.
``Overreaction would be shooting down the missile, taking out the missile from the launch pad, or suspending and terminating the six-party talks,'' he said.
He continued, ``If North Korea would not deploy, would not export, would not produce long-range missiles, it's cheaper than keeping an aircraft carrier to shoot it down, cheaper than keeping national missile defense in Alaska.''
The North's long-range Taepodong-2 missile is theoretically capable of reaching Alaska and Hawaii.
Jannuzi, who served as a key foreign policy adviser for the Obama election team last year, suggested troubleshooting via the resumption of dialogue.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also talked about the ``need to have a conversation about missiles'' with the North.
Missile talks were suspended after former President Bill Clinton withdrew an offer to visit Pyongyang to conclude missile and nuclear talks in 2000.
Recalling Obama's pledge to impose sanctions against North Korea again if it does not implement obligations, the planned missile launch would be a test for the new administration, Jannuzi said.
*********************************************************************************
U.S. commanders say ready for N.Korea missile Reuters
Thu Mar 19, 2009 5:29pm EDT
By Paul Eckert, Asia Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States could intercept a North Korean missile launched toward U.S. territory with "high probability," the top U.S. commander for the Pacific region said on Thursday.
Speaking to a U.S. panel amid North Korean preparations for what Pyongyang has said will be a satellite launch in early April, U.S. Pacific Commander Timothy Keating and other senior officers stressed American capabilities without revealing intentions.
"We have a high probability," Keating, a U.S. Navy admiral, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing when asked if U.S. forces could intercept a missile from North Korea.
North Korea has said it intends to launch a communications satellite between April 4 and 8, asserting it has the right to do so under its space program. Washington and its allies in Asia see the plan as a disguised long-range missile test.
The North's Taepodong-2 has a range that could take it to Alaska. But analysts do not expect the United States to intercept the rocket, a move Pyongyang has said it would consider an act of war.
Air Force General Kevin Chilton, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, said the missile defense system the United States has been testing and partially deploying over the past decade was "ahead of North Korean capabilities."
"In the limited deployment capabilities that we have out today for the system, it is adequate to defend against what we believe the North Koreans could potentially put forward as a threat today," he told the hearing.
The United States, South Korea and Japan have said they see no difference between a satellite launch and a missile test.
"Even if there is a satellite launch on this, as the North Koreans just said it will be, it will help the technology of long-range missiles," Chilton added.
Japan's Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday that Tokyo was clearing the way for the deployment of ballistic missile interceptors. North Korea stunned Tokyo with the launch of a rocket in 1998 that flew over Japan before dropping into the Pacific Ocean.
North Korea has said the first stage of the rocket would splash down in the Sea of Japan, while the second would land in the Pacific.
Army General Walter Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces in Korea, said the missile threat is serious because North Korea tested a nuclear bomb in 2006. Proliferation is also a worry, because the government of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il sells missiles to support itself, he said.
A successful Taepodong-2 launch would go a long way toward "helping him proliferate that to other countries around the world and to be able to get cash back in order to put it back into regime survival," Sharp told the panel.
The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said on Tuesday it had completed a successful intercept test at a range in Hawaai of a mobile system designed to intercept short to medium range ballistic missiles.
(Editing by Doina Chiacu and Todd Eastham)
Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:22pm EDT
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. official did not dispute on Wednesday a Japanese media report that North Korea has positioned what is believed to be a Taepodong-2 long-range ballistic missile on a launch pad at its Musudanri facility.
"I'm not going to steer you away from what's been reported," said a U.S. counterproliferation official. The official referred to a report by Kyodo news agency which cited "sources close to Japan-U.S. relations."
(Reporting by Paul Eckert; Editing by Eric Walsh)
*****************************************************************************
'US Advised Not to Overreact to NK Missile Launch' - Korean Times
Frank Jannuzi,
a staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
By Kim Sue-young
Staff Reporter
Frank Jannuzi, a staff member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, has urged President Barack Obama's administration not to overreact to a North Korean missile test, expected in early April.
In a seminar organized by the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C., March 23, he advised reviving missile talks with North Korea in a bid to solve the issue.
The secretive state told international organizations on aviation early this month that it will launch a ``satellite'' into orbit between April 4 and 8, but the outside world has not ruled out the possibility of it testing a long-range missile.
``Overreaction would be shooting down the missile, taking out the missile from the launch pad, or suspending and terminating the six-party talks,'' he said.
He continued, ``If North Korea would not deploy, would not export, would not produce long-range missiles, it's cheaper than keeping an aircraft carrier to shoot it down, cheaper than keeping national missile defense in Alaska.''
The North's long-range Taepodong-2 missile is theoretically capable of reaching Alaska and Hawaii.
Jannuzi, who served as a key foreign policy adviser for the Obama election team last year, suggested troubleshooting via the resumption of dialogue.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton also talked about the ``need to have a conversation about missiles'' with the North.
Missile talks were suspended after former President Bill Clinton withdrew an offer to visit Pyongyang to conclude missile and nuclear talks in 2000.
Recalling Obama's pledge to impose sanctions against North Korea again if it does not implement obligations, the planned missile launch would be a test for the new administration, Jannuzi said.
*********************************************************************************
U.S. commanders say ready for N.Korea missile Reuters
Thu Mar 19, 2009 5:29pm EDT
By Paul Eckert, Asia Correspondent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States could intercept a North Korean missile launched toward U.S. territory with "high probability," the top U.S. commander for the Pacific region said on Thursday.
Speaking to a U.S. panel amid North Korean preparations for what Pyongyang has said will be a satellite launch in early April, U.S. Pacific Commander Timothy Keating and other senior officers stressed American capabilities without revealing intentions.
"We have a high probability," Keating, a U.S. Navy admiral, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing when asked if U.S. forces could intercept a missile from North Korea.
North Korea has said it intends to launch a communications satellite between April 4 and 8, asserting it has the right to do so under its space program. Washington and its allies in Asia see the plan as a disguised long-range missile test.
The North's Taepodong-2 has a range that could take it to Alaska. But analysts do not expect the United States to intercept the rocket, a move Pyongyang has said it would consider an act of war.
Air Force General Kevin Chilton, commander of the U.S. Strategic Command, said the missile defense system the United States has been testing and partially deploying over the past decade was "ahead of North Korean capabilities."
"In the limited deployment capabilities that we have out today for the system, it is adequate to defend against what we believe the North Koreans could potentially put forward as a threat today," he told the hearing.
The United States, South Korea and Japan have said they see no difference between a satellite launch and a missile test.
"Even if there is a satellite launch on this, as the North Koreans just said it will be, it will help the technology of long-range missiles," Chilton added.
Japan's Kyodo news agency reported on Wednesday that Tokyo was clearing the way for the deployment of ballistic missile interceptors. North Korea stunned Tokyo with the launch of a rocket in 1998 that flew over Japan before dropping into the Pacific Ocean.
North Korea has said the first stage of the rocket would splash down in the Sea of Japan, while the second would land in the Pacific.
Army General Walter Sharp, commander of U.S. Forces in Korea, said the missile threat is serious because North Korea tested a nuclear bomb in 2006. Proliferation is also a worry, because the government of North Korean leader Kim Jong-il sells missiles to support itself, he said.
A successful Taepodong-2 launch would go a long way toward "helping him proliferate that to other countries around the world and to be able to get cash back in order to put it back into regime survival," Sharp told the panel.
The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said on Tuesday it had completed a successful intercept test at a range in Hawaai of a mobile system designed to intercept short to medium range ballistic missiles.
(Editing by Doina Chiacu and Todd Eastham)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Incident Watch. North Korea Test-Launching Long-Range Missles.
According to the Global Incident Map, the newest threats include all of the following...
Feb. 4, 2009 - IDAHO - Ada County Assessors Office Hazmat Scare A Hoax
Feb. 4, 2009 - COLORADO - 2 Apparent Pipe Bombs Found Behind Medical Clinic
Feb. 4, 2009 - TEXAS - Laredo Police Respond To Several False Bomb Threats
Feb. 4, 2009 - TEXAS - Austin Police Bomb Squad Investigates Suspicious Item
Feb. 4 2009 - TEXAS - I-45 Reopened After Bomb Disposal - 2 Pipe Bombs Found In Culvert
Feb. 4, 2009 - FLORIDA - Miami - Bomb Squad Called To Government Center package
Feb. 5, 2009 - MAINE - School In Poland Evacuated After More Than A Dozen Fall Ill
Feb. 5, 2009 - OHIO - Christian School Evacuated After Bomb Threat
Feb. 6, 2009 - UTAH - Man Arrested For Airport Bomb Joke
Feb. 8, 2009 - WASHINGTON State - Bomb Threat At Hospital In Burien
Feb. 8, 2009 - CALIFORNIA - Possible Bomb Reported In Tuolumne County
Feb. 8, 2009 - MASSACHUSETTS - Police Find Cache Of Weapons And Bomb Materials
Feb. 9, 2009 - WEST VIRGINIA - Bomb Found In Raleigh County Bank
Feb. 9, 2009 - KENTUCKY - Police Detonate Suspicious Package In Shively
Feb. 10, 2009 - OHIO - White Powder Mailed To Local Govt Office
Feb. 10, 2009 - NORTH DAKOTA - Bomb Threat Prompts GF County Office Building Evacuation
Feb. 10, 2009 - GEORGIA - Bomb Threat at Government Building
Feb. 10, 2009 - COLORADO - Suspicious White Powder Found At Federal Building In Fort Collins
Feb. 10, 2009 - NEW MEXICO - Powdery Substance Found At City Hall Mailroom - Ruled Harmless
Feb. 10, 2009 - CALIFORNIA - Ecoterrorists Allegedly Targeted UCLA Van
Feb. 10, 2009 - CALIFORNIA - Bomb Squad Explodes Device In Redwood City
Feb. 11, 2009 - OREGON - Police Evacuate Macys - Bomb Squad Called - 2 Packages
*************************************************************************
Reuters
Feb. 10, 2009
By Jon Herskovitz
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appears to have made further preparations to test its longest-range Taepodong-2 missile as well as short-range missiles.
Here are questions and answers as to why North Korea might test launch one of its missiles:
WHAT DOES THE NORTH STAND TO GAIN THROUGH TESTING ITS
LONGEST-RANGE MISSILE?
If the launch is successful, North Korea will have a missile with a maximum estimated range of 6,700 km (4,200 miles), designed to carry a nuclear warhead that could hit U.S. territory, although not the continental 48 states. This would, for the first time, pose a direct security threat by the North to the United States.
The North, which already has hundreds of rudimentary missiles, would be able to test its multi-stage rocket systems and increase its ability to produce long-range missiles.
HOW BIG A THREAT IS THE TAEPODONG-2?
The only time North Korea has fired the missile was in 2006 when it managed just a few seconds of controlled flight and broke apart in less than a minute.
It has a crude multi-stage design and poor guidance system and takes weeks to prepare for launch. U.S. spy satellites can easily monitor the preparations and it should be relatively easy to destroy long before launch.
Experts have said North Korea does not yet have the technology to miniaturise a nuclear device to use as a warhead. But the North has been working on placing biological and chemical weapons on missiles.
WHY WOULD IT TEST A SHORT-RANGE MISSILE?
North Korean short-range missiles, thought to number in the hundreds and with ranges of about 100-150 km (60-95 miles), can hit all of the Seoul area and many U.S. military bases in South Korea. They have been successfully tested.
North Korea times its short-range missile launches for periods of increased tension to send political messages. A launch would be intended to grab the attention of new U.S. President Barack Obama and could dominate the agenda of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is making a trip to Asia next week.
The North is also trying to put pressure on South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who took office a year ago and has angered his destitute neighbour by cutting off what once had been a free flow of unconditional aid.
WHAT ABOUT ITS MID-RANGE MISSILES?
North Korea has several hundred Rodong missiles, with ranges that can hit all of South Korea and most of Japan. A launch of one of these ballistic missiles would violate international provisions and be much more provocative than a short-range test.
WHAT DOES NORTH KOREA RISK BY TEST-FIRING THE MISSILES?
Another failed Taepodong-2 launch would be a major embarrassment for Pyongyang which has little beyond its military threat to win concessions from the outside world. That, and the high cost for the impoverished state, may make it reluctant to risk a second launch.
Its leaders may be happy to simply imply a threat by moving around missile-related equipment, knowing it will be seen by U.S. intelligence and raise alarm within the new U.S. government.
On the other hand, the international community has few options left to punish the North for a launch of any of its ballistic missiles. North Korea is already subject to U.N. sanctions stemming from its July 2006 ballistic missile test that included Rodong missiles and the Taepodong-2 and a nuclear test a few months after that.
The United States has already called for a suspension of aid promised under a six-way nuclear deal while Japan and South Korea have blocked channels that sent cash and food.
WHEN MIGHT A LAUNCH TAKE PLACE?
A short-range missile launch could happen at any time.
The North may time a Taepodong-2 or Rodong launch to coincide with a meeting on March 8 of its Supreme People's Assembly. Its state media has been heralding the event and the role leader Kim Jong-il will play. Kim suffered a suspected stroke in August that raised questions about his grip on power.
It would be difficult for the North to launch a Taepodong-2 by the time of Kim's 67th birthday on February 16. Another possible date is April 25, the anniversary of its Korea People's Army.
(Editing by Alex Richardson)
Feb. 4, 2009 - IDAHO - Ada County Assessors Office Hazmat Scare A Hoax
Feb. 4, 2009 - COLORADO - 2 Apparent Pipe Bombs Found Behind Medical Clinic
Feb. 4, 2009 - TEXAS - Laredo Police Respond To Several False Bomb Threats
Feb. 4, 2009 - TEXAS - Austin Police Bomb Squad Investigates Suspicious Item
Feb. 4 2009 - TEXAS - I-45 Reopened After Bomb Disposal - 2 Pipe Bombs Found In Culvert
Feb. 4, 2009 - FLORIDA - Miami - Bomb Squad Called To Government Center package
Feb. 5, 2009 - MAINE - School In Poland Evacuated After More Than A Dozen Fall Ill
Feb. 5, 2009 - OHIO - Christian School Evacuated After Bomb Threat
Feb. 6, 2009 - UTAH - Man Arrested For Airport Bomb Joke
Feb. 8, 2009 - WASHINGTON State - Bomb Threat At Hospital In Burien
Feb. 8, 2009 - CALIFORNIA - Possible Bomb Reported In Tuolumne County
Feb. 8, 2009 - MASSACHUSETTS - Police Find Cache Of Weapons And Bomb Materials
Feb. 9, 2009 - WEST VIRGINIA - Bomb Found In Raleigh County Bank
Feb. 9, 2009 - KENTUCKY - Police Detonate Suspicious Package In Shively
Feb. 10, 2009 - OHIO - White Powder Mailed To Local Govt Office
Feb. 10, 2009 - NORTH DAKOTA - Bomb Threat Prompts GF County Office Building Evacuation
Feb. 10, 2009 - GEORGIA - Bomb Threat at Government Building
Feb. 10, 2009 - COLORADO - Suspicious White Powder Found At Federal Building In Fort Collins
Feb. 10, 2009 - NEW MEXICO - Powdery Substance Found At City Hall Mailroom - Ruled Harmless
Feb. 10, 2009 - CALIFORNIA - Ecoterrorists Allegedly Targeted UCLA Van
Feb. 10, 2009 - CALIFORNIA - Bomb Squad Explodes Device In Redwood City
Feb. 11, 2009 - OREGON - Police Evacuate Macys - Bomb Squad Called - 2 Packages
*************************************************************************
Reuters
Feb. 10, 2009
By Jon Herskovitz
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea appears to have made further preparations to test its longest-range Taepodong-2 missile as well as short-range missiles.
Here are questions and answers as to why North Korea might test launch one of its missiles:
WHAT DOES THE NORTH STAND TO GAIN THROUGH TESTING ITS
LONGEST-RANGE MISSILE?
If the launch is successful, North Korea will have a missile with a maximum estimated range of 6,700 km (4,200 miles), designed to carry a nuclear warhead that could hit U.S. territory, although not the continental 48 states. This would, for the first time, pose a direct security threat by the North to the United States.
The North, which already has hundreds of rudimentary missiles, would be able to test its multi-stage rocket systems and increase its ability to produce long-range missiles.
HOW BIG A THREAT IS THE TAEPODONG-2?
The only time North Korea has fired the missile was in 2006 when it managed just a few seconds of controlled flight and broke apart in less than a minute.
It has a crude multi-stage design and poor guidance system and takes weeks to prepare for launch. U.S. spy satellites can easily monitor the preparations and it should be relatively easy to destroy long before launch.
Experts have said North Korea does not yet have the technology to miniaturise a nuclear device to use as a warhead. But the North has been working on placing biological and chemical weapons on missiles.
WHY WOULD IT TEST A SHORT-RANGE MISSILE?
North Korean short-range missiles, thought to number in the hundreds and with ranges of about 100-150 km (60-95 miles), can hit all of the Seoul area and many U.S. military bases in South Korea. They have been successfully tested.
North Korea times its short-range missile launches for periods of increased tension to send political messages. A launch would be intended to grab the attention of new U.S. President Barack Obama and could dominate the agenda of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is making a trip to Asia next week.
The North is also trying to put pressure on South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who took office a year ago and has angered his destitute neighbour by cutting off what once had been a free flow of unconditional aid.
WHAT ABOUT ITS MID-RANGE MISSILES?
North Korea has several hundred Rodong missiles, with ranges that can hit all of South Korea and most of Japan. A launch of one of these ballistic missiles would violate international provisions and be much more provocative than a short-range test.
WHAT DOES NORTH KOREA RISK BY TEST-FIRING THE MISSILES?
Another failed Taepodong-2 launch would be a major embarrassment for Pyongyang which has little beyond its military threat to win concessions from the outside world. That, and the high cost for the impoverished state, may make it reluctant to risk a second launch.
Its leaders may be happy to simply imply a threat by moving around missile-related equipment, knowing it will be seen by U.S. intelligence and raise alarm within the new U.S. government.
On the other hand, the international community has few options left to punish the North for a launch of any of its ballistic missiles. North Korea is already subject to U.N. sanctions stemming from its July 2006 ballistic missile test that included Rodong missiles and the Taepodong-2 and a nuclear test a few months after that.
The United States has already called for a suspension of aid promised under a six-way nuclear deal while Japan and South Korea have blocked channels that sent cash and food.
WHEN MIGHT A LAUNCH TAKE PLACE?
A short-range missile launch could happen at any time.
The North may time a Taepodong-2 or Rodong launch to coincide with a meeting on March 8 of its Supreme People's Assembly. Its state media has been heralding the event and the role leader Kim Jong-il will play. Kim suffered a suspected stroke in August that raised questions about his grip on power.
It would be difficult for the North to launch a Taepodong-2 by the time of Kim's 67th birthday on February 16. Another possible date is April 25, the anniversary of its Korea People's Army.
(Editing by Alex Richardson)
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