Here is a supplemental piece to today’s alert (link) providing more detail in countering the key points of the recent L.A. Times article.

In this panacea of agenda driven logic, the L.A. Times used testing records of the previous first and second-generation interceptors, that have all been improved, to attempt to show lack of confidence which has no significant bearing on current confidence of the Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD) as the system holistically continues to evolve for more reliability and confidence after each and every test. The L.A. Times and its readers should take notice of North Korea, a third world country with a third world economy and industry base in its dismal ballistic missile testing records with their astounding success of proving out and making operational remarkable state of the art ballistic missile capabilities, that they are proliferating rapidly. Failure in testing drives quicker and better solutions for more confidence and reliability in the systems tested rather than the opposite.

Here are seven fundamental flaws from the L.A. Times and its experts on the May 30th test.

• The scripted GMD test on May 30, 2017 posed much less of a challenge for missile defenses than would an actual attack from North Korea

Untrue, as battle space, time, and distances were shorter than a North Korean ICBM strike to the U.S. Homeland and from sensor to sensor. Therefore, providing less time on the objects and a faster decision cycle.

• Test provides little evidence that GMD could thwart a surprise attack from North Korea

Untrue, as the test used current missile defense deployed assets and operational firing crews manning both the radars and Ground-Based Interceptors (GBIs) 24/7 365 days a year as they do today in there operational deployment that would be engaged on any surprise attack.

• SBX was placed in the perfect place for this test to be conducted – as was the TPY-2 on Wake Island
  • “Having two X-band radars in the test so closely positioned along the target flight path is one way in which the test was scripted for success”

Untrue, as the limiting test ranges with the GBI interceptor fired out of California could only put the TPY-2 on Wake for best realistic operations and the SBX has tremendous range and capability regardless of where it was situated once cued from the TPY-2 whether that TYP-2 is right next to it or far away from it. The United States has perfected ” Engage on Remote Sensors” in multiple proven missile defense intercept testing. The TPY-2 in Wake simulated the Japan TPY-2 discriminating and tracking of a North Korean launch in cueing the SBX.

• The decoys used during the test did not resemble the target missile’s mock warheads

Untrue, as that is classified information that the L.A. Times and its sources do not have or can validate.

• Test was conducted during daylight hours, making it easier to identify and track the mock warhead

A ridiculous uneducated assumption, as the discriminating sensors of the TPY-2, the SBX and also one of the sensors in the GBI EKV seeker do not identify or track the warhead using the visible reflective spectrum that would be effected by the sun.

• GMD operators knew the target missile would be launched within a window of a few hours

Another ridiculous uneducated assumption, as GMD operators are 24/7 365 manning both the Sensors globally and GBI fields in Alaska and California in Fire Control Centers in Alaska and Colorado. It doesn’t matter when it is launched, as they are fully trained with thousands of hours looking at the same screens going through firing exercises every day. There just isn’t any difference to them from live firing to exercises looking on computer screens and getting command and communications, identifying the threat and weaponizing the system to fire on the system. They are in a concealed fire control room with no windows and no outside media being piped in.

• Target traveled at slower speeds than a North Korean ICBM would need to travel to reach US mainland

Another ridiculous uneducated assumption as the ICBM and missile speeds at these ranges in Space have no significant bearing on making a successful kinetic energy intercept from the GBI, as it is all mathematical algorithms that are super computed that don’t defy physics of ballistic trajectory once the object is discriminated.

There is no question that more GBI capacity is needed, constant communication to the GBI interceptor in flight is needed and modulation of the EKV for more reliability and cost reduction is needed. There is no question that persistent space based discriminator satellite constellations are needed to fill in all the gaps from terrestrial sensors. All of these needed capabilities will increase POK greatly and reduce the amount of GBI shots fired but have not yet matured due to the diligence of development and testing process that has to be followed nor rushed backed by significant investment. Our nation should be ecstatic that we were smart and wise enough to have the current GMD capability invested, tested, deployed and proven today to have legitimate and reliable ballistic missile defense for our population from North Korea ICBMs.

The L.A. Times in their consistent self-induced rational and false reasoning, that there is little or no confidence in our nation’s ballistic missile defense system to defend against a nuclear North Korean ICBM and their blatant disregard of Alaska and Hawaii as part of the Homeland in quantification of the GMD system would lead them without a credible missile defense capability to advocating for a U.S. Policy of preemptively striking North Korea, that would induce millions of innocent lives lost, accepting nuclear proliferation by South Korea and Japan to defend themselves – since the United States can’t defend itself – and destabilizing the strategic nuclear balance with Russia and China, in forcing the United States to go to space with directed energy as the ideal solution for missile defense rather than the confined limited GMD system we have today that does not upset the strategic balance.

The United States ballistic missile defense systems today deployed and operational around the world are making the world a safer place, helping to prevent catastrophic wars, preventing nuclear proliferation and defending the American population from a real North Korean nuclear ICBM threat.