Nuclear radar program is dangerous
Thirty-eight years ago, President Reagan declined Soviet Secretary General Gorbachev’s offer to abolish nuclear weapons. Instead, he was charmed by the imagined Strategic Defense Initiative (Star Wars) missile defense system. Since then the Department of Defense has spent over $250 billion on missile defense programs, and a January 2021 Congressional Budget Office report projects a 40% increase over present spending through 2029.
By any acceptable standard of reliability, the program is a failure. Historically, in their scripted tests (one “enemy” missile with a known launch time and place), the intercepting missile has successfully intercepted only about half the time. Tests have never been conducted under real world conditions, which would have multiple aggressor missiles with each missile tipped with multiple warheads and decoys deployed to confuse the interceptor missile. In simple terms, missile defense technology can never catch up to weapon delivery by missile technology.
The HDR-H radar proposed for PMRF is a prime example of the futility of defending against a real nuclear attack. It might appear counterintuitive that a missile detection radar could make us less safe. But it has already been declared within the Missile Defense Agency to be obsolete in the fast-paced nuclear superiority race. It is a waste of resources at best and dangerous at worst. Dangerous because by promoting it as a solution to nuclear conflict, it complicates diplomatic efforts at nuclear disarmament while perpetuating a false sense of security that excuses more aggressive brinksmanship by our war planners.
We can tell the Missile Defense Agency what we think about locating the radar at PMRF or anywhere in Hawaii. NEPA rules require the applicant for an Environmental Impact Statement to respond to substantive comments.
Call 1-844-201-3652 to leave a four-minute comment.
Email mda.hdrh.eis@kfs-llc.com with the subject line MDA-HDR-H EIS
Kip Goodwin, Wailua
Beware of false facts
The comics and specifically Doonesbury once again shines a bright light on what many of us believe. Doonesbury’s take on an Alternative Jeopardy in the April 4, 2021, TGI is one of different and false facts. And this is exactly what a sizeable part of our population wants to believe.
Don’t let reality get in the way. Since the 2020 election, the little-boy ex-president has brought in more than $200,000,000. This money was donated under the guise of reversing the election results. In reality only a small % went to that cause and the rest went into the pocket of the snake oil salesman.
Let’s return to Jeopardy to see how it works. I’ll take Elections for $500. The Answer, Trump. The Question, who won the 2020 Election?
Mark Perry, Lihu‘e
