April 8, 2006 :: The Heritage Foundation :: Analysis
In a speech yesterday at the Heritage Foundation, Congressman Sam Brownback (R-KS) discussed the emerging threats from Iran, North Korea, and transnational terrorist organizations. In particular, he mentioned a point seldom discussed: the vulnerability of U.S. forces in Iraq and South Korea to ballistic missile attack. According to Brownback:
We forget that it was only in 1991 that our troops during the first Gulf war were actually killed by missiles. A single SCUD missile hit a U.S. military barracks in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, killing 28 of our soldiers and wounding 99.
Today, our capacity to shoot down even a relatively crude SCUD missile is not much improved from that time. Our forces in Iraq and Korea—and the civilian populations they defend—have almost no means of protection against Iranian or North Korean ballistic missiles armed with both chemical and conventional warheads.
Brownback argued that the Pentagon should review and if necessary “step up” its ballistic missile defense programs in order to guarantee the safety of these troops. (Article)
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