On Oct. 18 The Garden Island printed an Army press release headlined PMRF at forefront of new-age warfare.
The press release variously states that the Department of Defense has been researching hypersonic nuclear weapon delivery vehicles “for decades,” and that now “our adversaries have decided to develop hypersonic capabilities” of their own. This must have caught our war-planners by surprise, because in the never-ending escalation of the missile-defense game, dating back to Reagan’s time, they declare there needs to be “a robust, hypersonic missile defense.”
A few facts:
• No missile defense strategy has ever been tested in a real-time scenario;
• Even when the test is scripted, the defending missile historically has failed to intercept the “enemy” missile more than half the time;
• A hypersonic missile at mach 5 travels the length of 80 football fields, end to end, in one second;
• Every treaty limiting the number of nukes and banning certain nuke-delivery missiles, except one, has been terminated by Presidents Bush and Trump. That treaty, the Start Two, is up for renewal next spring, and President Trump has said he will end it, too;
• The war-planners’ hypersonic missile-defense proposal is a network of hundreds of low-orbit satellites around the earth. It is at present only a concept for a technology that doesn’t even exist yet. The cost is almost beyond imagining. Some have speculated it could at long last crack the firewall between Pentagon defense spending, already more than half the federal discretionary budget, and the entitlement programs Social Security and Medicare.
The press release simultaneously celebrates “providing the warfighter the highest quality weapons” while acknowledging “defending against these systems is very difficult.” Translation: Expensive. In the real world, Americans are facing the real security threats of eviction, food insecurity, challenges to their mental health. A bailout for them is not affordable, but the Pentagon gets blank checks, no questions asked. And PMRF is at the forefront.
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Kip Goodwin is a resident of Wailua.
https://file.wikileaks.org/file/us-hawaii-spawar-report-2008.pdf
Here! Have so convoluted democracy and killing machine including those that fire em Up!
Yes our general well being needs funding first, I also wondered if having PMRF would make Kaua’i a target for our enemies.
Wondered?
Just another example of how the military can siphon off funds that could be going to programs meant to help people instead of kill them, IMO.
This is total BS. The Israelis have successfully intercepted scores of missiles. And hypersonic technology is real and not some aspirational pie-in-the-sky wish-to-have prize. And the fondest hope of the Chinese and the Russians is for us to decide that we don’t want to play this game anymore, and the very first asset they’ll take from us is . . . wait for it . . . you guessed it . . . Hawaii!! The gem of the Pacific. The single-most strategic spot on earth. Whichever nation controls Hawaii controls the Pacific, and we should protect it like we would protect our children.
Kip, a couple of comments some things you listed as facts:
#1. Countries develop, test, and field missile defense systems based on overall strategies. The strategies I would presume are themselves based on expected capabilities of an adversary, and the ability to defend against it. Without a doubt, missile defense systems have been exercised, or “put to the test” in real-time situations. Both by the US and other countries. Patriot missile defense against Iraqi SCUD missiles, and more recently Israel “iron dome” defending against incoming missiles. So both the missile defense system and the strategies have been demonstrated.
#2. Could you please provide some specificity as to which tests comprise the database from which you draw this conclusion?
#3. If Kip Goodwin was travelling at Mach 5, that would mean he was travelling 5 times faster than the speed of sound (c). At sea-level, c = 1116 ft/sec so doing the math tells me that Kip is moving at 5580 ft/sec. In the US football is played on a 100 yard field which we all know is the same as 300 ft. In order to traverse 80 football fields in 1 second, that means travelling at 80×300, or 24,000 ft/sec. FACT: 5580 is not equal 24000.
The speed of sound is even slower as you increase in altitude,
JustBeth,,
The $1Billion radar that was in then out of the Defense Authorization Bill, that was proposed for PMRF, was apparently scrubbed because it cannot track and defeat the game changer hypersonic technology. There is no place else for missile technology to go. 80 years on after the Trinity detonation the default homeland nuclear protection strategy is still Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD).
Patrriot missile defense of scuds is so 1970’s technology. And minor league in the new Great Powers confrontation we’re told to be very afraid of.
You got me on the football fields. I used feet instead of yards. Still, 27 football fields in a second is hella fast, AND they’re maneuverable.
In 90 days possessing a nuclear bomb will be illegal under international law. Time the seven nuke nations started talking about a cure for this insanity.
Kip Goodwin brings up the valid points, mainly that our intercepts work about half the time. Vandenberg AFB is the main location for intercept missiles. Not only do they miss many of their targets, thinking that they will save us from direct nuclear missile hits is far from likely due to the use of decoys. Launch the nuke and several decoys and what do we have? I don’t want to think about it. But think about this, our best bet for peace and safety are treaties. Trump in his infinite stupidity is unable to appreciate any concept of that as he pulls us out of all of them and alienates us from our past allies, making us vulnerable.
Key word “Vandenberg”! Remember 03/2018 oops, this is not a drill!, not an oops either!? VAFB Cali launched and PMRF intercepted! Cali Fires, Thomas “forest fire” (aka direct energy weapon DEW) 12/2017 Ventura, and Santa Barbara stalled storm “raining boulders! Youtube video REmoved, said “Hawaii next”! After oops, had Hawaii Island geothermal fracking caused earthquakes caused volcano eruption and Kauai “chaff” or microwave pulses, caused “stalled Hanalei storm flood 50” rain<24-hours! New PMRF USAF MP gating will be placed at McArthur park Kekaha, effectively controlling civilians out from Polihale and Majors Bay , due to the Funded 1.2 Billion $ senate military C-span II authorization/video removed, toward funding 12-story Ballistic missile launch intercept facility that HAS already broken ground and ready for action 2022 under "homeland Security", no need EIS Or community input. This includes military movement, moving to kauai where there is no base housing, only the million dollar wealthy peeps TVRs available. But what the heck, the PMRF already hoards a Water Well that is delivered from the back road that is nicely bypassed hidden continuing east on the Polihale road turnoff Mana foothills. As usual IN our faces and not shared with island community, "only PMRF military uses this Well" as i questioned an on-duty MP 24-7 monitoring that location.
I may be just a dog, but I do appreciate proper syntax and grammatically correct English sentences. Moreover, Debra incredulously states that microwave pulses caused the severe north shore rain storm. I was at Hanalei at the time and my coffee was not at all warmed by those microwaves.
Woof!
“Missile Defense Strategies” have been tested hundreds of times in real-life combat in Iraq, Israel and currently in Saudi Arabia.
My guess is that Kip wants more money to go to the people in the form of Bernie’s “free” stuff? Like his Dear Leader Obama’s mantra, to hell with the defense of the most wealthy and successful Country in the history of mankind. America, the prize that every horrible tyrant on earth wants to control! Let’s give our money to Iran and the other nefarious actors trying to destroy America, and promise just enough “free” stuff to stupid snowflake Americans to get re-elected! Thank God President Trump has made us so much more safe from the real adversaries that loom over us!
Get real, nothings free. If you really believe that the US is the best and most successful country on the planet, you don’t seem to know that we have more military bases around the world than any other country, if our “enemies” did to us what we do to them, we’d already have had World War III! In my opinion, we are the bullies and terrorist of the planet! You’re probably thinking, if I feel that way, perhaps I should leave the US – about the only reason I don’t consider that is because living here in Kauai, you can pretend you’re not in the US! And sadly Dems and Repubs are one and the same when it comes to war – Obama was the drone king and Trump, who said he wanted to get along with Russia and China changed his tune once in office. The reality is that war is good for business, making many people (not us little folks) and corporations richer and richer! And if you’ll notice, it’s the little folks that are dying in those wars because they join the military because they need a job or an education. Something this “wealthy and successful” country can’t afford to provide!! So wake up get real!
Wait am minute,,,back as far as the Iraq war we can remember the Patriot Missie shooting down the SCUD’s. That was certainly a missile defense system. What is going on in Kauai now. COVID-19 is becoming a non issue so we need something else to be afraid of. Don’t fill in those holes. You can probably use the ones that you use to hide from the Chinese Communist Party virus to hide in while you complain about the Pacific Missile Range,