A recent New York Times editorial is turning one of the significant nuclear weapons’ benefits for the U.S. national security on its head, charging that the nuclear weapons budget is “bloated.” This is simply incorrect. Nuclear forces have been very cost effective relative to conventional forces and historically have consumed …
The Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) took a hit when the German government decided to withdraw its support for the system. MEADS is a ground-based terminal ballistic missile defense (BMD) system developed jointly by the United States, Italy, and Germany. Germany’s step is not surprising. In February, the U.S. …
“The missile defense system we are establishing in Europe is not directed against Russia. We have said that publicly and privately, at many levels. We are prepared to put it in writing,” stated Ellen Tauscher, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. This approach is headed in …
President Obama is sacrificing missile defense for a “reset” with the Russian Federation, writes Rebeccah Heinrichs in her most recent piece. The Obama Administration has scrapped the third site in Poland and the Czech Republic, the Bush’s Administration’s ballistic missile defense plan for the protection of the U.S. and European …
The missile defense budget has been on the chopping block ever since the Obama Administration took office. In 2009, President Obama proposed $1.6 billion in cuts compared to the prior year’s budget estimate. In 2010, the Administration proposed a modest increase in the missile defense budget for FY 2011 but …
The Obama Administration’s commitment to maintain the U.S. strategic triad appears to be fading, writes Mark Schneider, former special assistant in the Office of the Secretary of Defense during the New Strategic Arms Control Treaty (New START) negotiations. Indeed, experts at The Heritage Foundation have been pointing out problems with …
Two experts in missile defense—Lieutenant General Henry A. Obering III (ret.), former director of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA), and Rebeccah Heinrichs, an adjunct fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies—wrote a letter countering Yousaf Butt’s claim that the ballistic missile defense testing program comprises of “essentially rigged tests, …
As Turkish representatives announced last week their decision to participate in the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA), the Obama Administration’s plan for missile defense, there seems to be a misconception about EPAA’s capabilities. This week, The Washington Post wrote, “Development of a European missile shield accelerated under the George W. …
The White House has recently announced more details about the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA), a ballistic missile defense plan for the protection of allies and friends in Europe and the U.S. homeland in its later stages. While the EPAA has certain good aspects, including advancing the Aegis sea-based missile …
Last week, the Senate Appropriations Committee decided to accept the Pentagon’s request for Medium Extended Air Defense System (MEADS) funding, which will allow the system to enter its “Proof of Concept” phase. The committee’s decision came because costs associated with the termination of the program are at least as high …
