U.S. missile defense maturing, latest test a success
Within a year, the U.S. missile defense system should be able to guard against enemy attacks, while testing new technologies, the deputy director of the U.S. Missile Defense Agency said on Monday.The United States activated the ground-based system last summer when North Korea launched one long-range and six short-range missiles.
North Korea's intercontinental Taepodong 2 missile fell into the Sea of Japan shortly after launch but the short-range tests appeared successful, said Brig. Gen. Patrick O'Reilly, deputy director of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency.
O'Reilly said there would be no formal announcement that the system was operational. He predicted the capability to defend against enemy missiles and to continue testing and development work would be achieved within a year.
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Through the end of 2007, the program will focus on protecting the United States from threats from the Middle East and North Korea, expanding coverage to U.S. allies and boosting protection against shorter-range threats.In 2008 and beyond, there would be increased focus on countering unconventional attacks and increasing the U.S. inventory of interceptors and sensors, O'Reilly said.
This is certainly good news and kind of an "in-your-face" to those who said it would never work. It was always irrational to leave America defenseless against a missile attack. (Those who called Mutual Assured Destruction "MAD" were certainly correct, but were often the first to oppose a purely defensive system. Being able to protect Americans from a lunching by a madman, be he Korean or Persian con only be a good thing. Let's see on what grounds the Left opposes this.