Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), recently concluded that there is “no validated military requirement” for a proposed East Coast missile defense site. While some military leaders agree with his conclusion, the fact remains that the East Coast is less protected than the West …
Fans of pop culture and pop history are enjoying a documentary series on the National Geographic Channel: The ’80s, The Decade That Made Us. A recent installment focused on Ronald Reagan’s defense posture, including the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) or “Star Wars,” as its critics called it. Host Rob Lowe …
Yesterday, the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) passed the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) to fund U.S. forces. The Heritage Foundation recently set 10 issues that can improve U.S. security and advance its alliance relationships. While the HASC hasn’t released its full report yet, here are some of the …
The Defense Science Board (DSB) just released a report indicating that Chinese hackers have compromised the designs of perhaps two dozen of America’s top defense programs. The sheer breadth of China’s cyber espionage, as reflected in the types of programs, is breathtaking, ranging from missile defense systems (AEGIS, Patriot PAC-3, …
Last Wednesday, off the coast of Kauai, Hawaii, the Navy cruiser USS Lake Erie conducted a successful test of the next-generation missile defense weapon, engaging and destroying a dummy target warhead that had separated from a short-range attacking rocket. The Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) is designed to seek and kill both …
The growing threat from long-range nuclear missiles endangers the lives of millions of Americans while upsetting regional and global stability. The latest flare-up on the Korean Peninsula is a sobering reminder of this harsh reality. To protect Americans effectively against rogue attacks in the near future, a rigorous program of …
Transparency is not one of the Obama Administration’s greatest strengths. Walter Pincus of The Washington Post mistakes congressional efforts to better understand the Administration’s nuclear weapons plans for “congressional dysfunction.” Pincus is referring to chairman Mike D. Rogers’s (R–AL) efforts to block the Administration’s request to provide $75 million in …
In a recent editorial piece in the Washington Examiner, Representatives Doug Lamborn (R–CO) and Trent Franks (R–AZ) propose a four-point plan to strengthen and advance America’s missile defense system. Their plan reflects what Heritage has always advocated: Missile defense is critical to national security. The plan’s four points outline a …
Last week, 16 House Republicans called for including as much as $250 million for the U.S. East Coast missile defense site. This is a step in the right direction. All the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) interceptors that can shoot down long-range ballistic missiles are currently located on the West Coast; …
The Pentagon has recently requested more than $220 million in fiscal year (FY) 2014 to support Israel’s air defense system, known as “Iron Dome.” The Missile Defense Agency likewise requested an additional $175 million for FY 2015. Funding Iron Dome is in the interest of America’s closest ally in the …
