Missile Defense: Uninformed Buyers, Unproven Technologies

July 23, 2014 | Edited by Lauren Mladenka

Information gaps - “Congressional auditors are complaining that a dearth of data is making it difficult to judge progress in improving a key homeland antimissile system,” writes Rachel Oswald in Global Security Newswire. “The Pentagon was ordered under a 2013 law to report to Congress on specific efforts it was taking to improve the performance of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense system...Pentagon officials eventually delivered the assessment in February, seven months late, the Government Accountability Office said in an assessment released last week.”

--“But while the document lists past and planned actions aimed at technological enhancements in the program, it fails to adequately explain how those steps would work in bringing about improvements to the system's performance… Other gaps in information include the continued lack of a timeline for finalizing a new Ground Based Interceptor acquisition strategy. This comes in spite of the fact that the Pentagon would need such a strategy before it begins the process of purchasing 14 more interceptors for deployment in Alaska in fiscal 2018, the GAO report says.” Read the full article here. http://bit.ly/1noU0xc

--Full Report: “Missile Defense: DOD’s Report Provides Limited Insight on Improvements to Homeland Missile Defense and Acquisition Plans” by the Government Accountability Office. (pdf) http://1.usa.gov/1paFplX

Tweet - @nukes_of_hazard: The Center's General Gard in @NationalDefense: National Missile Defense Technology Still Falls Short http://bit.ly/1nfoe66

Building it anyway - “The Missile Defense Agency last week formally announced its intent to conduct environmental impact studies of four military bases' readiness to house an East Coast Ground-based Midcourse Defense site,” reports Inside Defense.

--“The Defense Department, which maintains GBIs at Ft. Greely, AK, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, CA, has no plans to build an East Coast site. The DOD study was conducted to comply with the fiscal year 2013 Defense Authorization Act, which required a siting study to be completed by December 31.” (paywall) http://bit.ly/1x14vId

Tweet - @WinWithoutWar: Cartoon by Patrick Chappatte: Why are #IranTalksVienna so tough? #Congress #Hawks http://nyti.ms/1A5OmFP

Lessons learned - In the intense period before the 2003 Iraq war, “enormous pressure was being put on Iraq to allow for intrusive international inspections of their alleged nuclear weapons program,” writes Col. Lawrence Wilkerson in The Desert Sun. “Among other things, it was a process driven by artificial timelines. The United Nations inspections team led by Hans Blix requested more time, but the Bush administration had its own timetable. Those calls for further deliberation were rejected, and the public was provided with a steady stream of alarmist messages describing the looming threat that Iraq posed. The words of caution from many of our leading allies were dismissed.”

--“This history is critical to our present deliberations for one simple reason: What we're doing now is exactly what we should have done instead of invading Iraq. Without a doubt, an Iranian nuclear program is an issue to take very seriously… At the same time, there are only two ways to definitively control Iran's nuclear program. The first is by establishing a rigorous program of on-site inspections supported by the international community and confirming that significant portions of Iran's program have been dismantled and rolled back. The second is by launching a ground invasion of Iran and literally taking control of the sites in question.”

--Unfortunately, there are “efforts afoot to sabotage the deal. Some in Congress are working to move the goalposts and add new sanctions on Iran or push for concessions that they know perfectly well Iran will never agree to. This is a bad idea. To be sure, there are other issues to pursue with Iran such as their appalling human rights record and their missile program, but these can and should be handled separately. They should not be used to scuttle the progress that has been made. It will not benefit America's national security interest if we make every outcome other than war impossible.” Full piece here. http://desert.sn/1ueTOWq

Backgrounder - “Summary of Understandings Related to the Implementation and Extension of the Joint Plan of Action.” Media Note from the State Department Spokesperson. July 22, 2014. http://1.usa.gov/1obpozO

Back in September - “Iran said on Wednesday nuclear talks with six world powers would resume in early September, according to state television, after both sides agreed to continue talking for four more months to try to reach a final agreement on Tehran's nuclear programme.” John Irish and Michelle Moghtader have the story in Reuters. http://reut.rs/1rsRPtX

Duration and practical needs - “Why centrifuges should not be an obstacle to a final nuclear deal.” by Mehdi Sayyari for Harvard’s Belfer Center. http://bit.ly/1obry2o

Tweet - @defensealt: Navy Passes Buck on 'Boomer' Buy - Reset Defense Bulletin 07/23/14 http://t.co/Xg3Jelsgim

Senate approved - “The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has approved an agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation between the U.S. and Vietnam,” AP reports. “The agreement would allow U.S. companies into Vietnam's expanding market for nuclear power...Nonproliferation activists and some lawmakers are concerned the agreement does not forbid Vietnam from enriching uranium itself or reprocessing plutonium. Those capabilities can be used to develop nuclear weapons.” Full article here. http://abcn.ws/1ueRDC9

Fenced off - “Activists will not be permitted to stage an anti-nuclear protest near the Y-12 site entrance due to security precautions put in place following a 2012 break-in,” Global Security Newswire reports.

--“The Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance wants to hold a ‘Names and Remembrance Ceremony’ for victims of the 1945 nuclear bombing of Hiroshima on a grassy spot of land close to the entrance of the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee. However, their plans for the Aug. 6 vigil have been stymied by a steel barricade that limits access to the site's front lawn. The fence, originally said to be temporary, was installed in the wake of the July 2012 break-in by a group of elderly peace protesters.” Full story here. http://bit.ly/1mE4qEG

Tweet - @tkassenova: A job opportunity at ACA, an organization that won Macarthur's "genius" award. http://t.co/4sVKpe9GRD via @armscontrolnow.

Events:

--“The Future of WMD in 2030.” Off the record discussion with John Caves and Seth Carus. July 24 12:00 to 1:30 at the National Defense University, Lincoln Hall, Room 1119, Fort McNair, Washington. RSVP by email to Nima Gerami at nima.gerami@ndu.edu.

--“Nuclear Politics on the Korean Peninsula.” Discussion with seven speakers. July 28 from 3:00 to 5:15 at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1779 Massachusetts Ave. NW. RSVP here. http://ceip.org/1sTSpjA

--“Hiroshima Peace Commemoration.” Sponsored by the DC Hiroshima-Nagasaki Peace Committee. August 5 at 6:30 at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, 1964 Independence Ave., SW, Washington.

--“The Nuclear Zero Lawsuits: Why the Tiny Marshall Islands Took on the Nuclear Nine.” Discussion with Rick Wayman, Neisen Laukon, and Erica Fein. August 6 from 3:00 to 4:00. Registration for online webinar available here. http://bit.ly/1k8nf8p