PIVOT INTO NEW CONFLICT

I did a TV interview via Skype yesterday with RT.  They didn't put it on YouTube but if you click on the TV image below you can watch it.  They wanted my thoughts on the announcement that the US-Japanese governments have agreed to place another "missile defense" (MD) radar in Japan.

Secretary of War Panetta is now in China so the Pentagon timed the announcement of this radar just as he arrived in Beijing.  Typical of the U.S. to stick the knife into the host's gut.....of course the Pentagon swore that the radar was only to be used to track North Korean missiles.....  And the Chinese really believe that one.

During the interview I mentioned that with Obama's "pivot" into the Asia-Pacific, more bases will be needed.  Thus the pressure on South Korea to build the Navy base on Jeju Island where U.S. ships can port.  I also mentioned the expansion of U.S. war bases in Guam and Okinawa and negotiations with the Philippines and Vietnam to allow U.S. warships to return to their ports after many years absence.

The graphic above shows the three versions of  MD - Boost, Midcourse and Terminal phases.  Each program uses different technology and has different challenges.  You can imagine it would be easier to hit a missile launched by someone else if you got it early on in the Boost phase when it was slow, with flames shooting out, and easier to reach.  Once in the Midcourse the missile is flying very fast and could then release decoys which make it harder for the MD system to distinguish real from fake.  Each of these three programs have had different success rates in the testing program.

There is growing talk in Congress about expanding the current Midcourse deployments (now only in Alaska and California) to an east coast location.  Maine and New York have been mentioned as possible basing sites.  I'll be watching that one closely.