October 26, 2004 :: Inside Defense :: News
The October 21 edition of Inside the Pentagon includes a story on the delayed deployment of the Alaska and California ground-based midcourse defense (GMD) system.
The article also discusses the likely operational capability of the system after formal “deployment.” Of particular interest is a quote from a Marine Corps General James Cartwright, Strategic Command chief. Cartwright suggests that even when the system comes on-line, it could be years before an adequate chain-of-command is established, to permit the timely firing of interceptors. The command chain would apparently be similar to that which required for the use of nuclear weapons. The relevant excerpt:
For a period of several more years, the initial system’s capabilities will be tentative, at best, Cartwright conceded in an Oct. 6 interview with ITP. In a real attack, a missile intercept using the fledgling defenses would require what Cartwright calls “the alignment of three consecutive miracles,” when “I happen to have the system on, I happen to have it in a configuration that it could be fired, and maybe I’ve got some percentage chance in confidence that I’ve gotten all the way through all the protocols—probably not.”
To be clear, such command level problems do not constitute any reason to further delay deployment. If it will take some time to work out details, or conduct further testing, this should be done sooner rather than later. And it would be better to have a missile defense system “on” half the time, rather than never. At the same time, it seems patently absurd that such problems should require years to solve. If true, however, Cartwright’s bleak assessment of our operational capability signals a substantial failure of bureaucracy.
» More stories on: Deployment, Policy
» Missile system details for: Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD)
