Sunday song

 

The real rioters at UCLA got exposed

 

A CNN investigation into the violent counter-protests at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) has identified several individuals responsible for the aggression. 

The investigation revealed that none of those identified were UCLA students and they had no apparent affiliation with UCLA. Some had previously been seen at a 2022 pro-Trump protest. 

Kyung Lah, CNN senior investigative correspondent, said CNN contacted the UCLA Police Department multiple times and through various means to inquire about the identified individuals and whether there would be a response or a follow-up investigation. 

However, no clear response was received.  

Blinken rocking with the Nazis in Kiev

 

Secretary of State Antony Blinken was caught dining at a pizzeria in Ukraine with ties to neo-Nazi groups in the country. Let's take a look at some of the other Americans who have passed through this questionable establishment.

He later went to a local bar in Kiev and joined a band playing guitar to a Neil Young song 'Rockin' in the Free World'.

Let's define 'free' as free to rob the poor and working class; free to make endless war; free to create global pandemics and make $$$ for big pharma; free to pump up the MIC; free to genocide Palestine; free to destroy our civil liberties and much more..... 

 

Thank you South Africa for solidarity with Palestine!

 

 

South Africa's Lawyer Breaks Down in Tears at ICJ Hearing! 

The Hague on Thursday, May 16, as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) holds two days of hearings in South Africa's case against Israel, regarding additional emergency measures and the modification of previous ones. 

credit: UN TV

Students are everywhere....

 

Haber Lütfen

Students gathered in The Hague, the Netherlands, demonstrated in front of Leiden University in support of Palestine and demanding an end to Israel's attacks on Gaza. 

According to the protesters, Leiden University did not honour the agreement with its own students regarding its ties with Israeli universities. 

Police teams were called in by the university administration.

Comedy & hard truth

 

 

If we can forgive their student debt, I think we can forgive them for wanting war to end. 

In 1968, 75% of America was against the Vietnam protests on college campuses. 

So guess what side of history you are on?

Ukraine replayed in Georgia: Another western color rev

 

• Alex Rubinstein investigates the political leadership of the protests rocking Georgia.

Georgian government is simply requiring all NGO's and media outlets that receive funding from sources abroad to disclose their funders. 

The USAID, NED, State Department, CIA, Soros Open Society Foundations and various EU equivalents are not happy being exposed. So they crank up their internal agents in Georgia in an attempt (just like they successfully did in 2014 in the Kiev Maidan that led to war in Ukraine) to overthrow the government.

Damon Wilson (featured in the above video and a real weird guy) is the new President and CEO of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED). Do yourself a favor and read his bio here.

• The attempted assassination this week of Slovakian prime minister Fico (who supports good relations with Russia and wants an end to the war in Ukraine) is further evidence of extreme measures taken by supporters of the collapsing western colonial empire. See more on that here
  

• In addition Niger has told the US to get out of its nation and demanded that the US close its drone war base. 

Niger’s decision to scrap military ties with the US was in response to threats made by American officials during negotiations, the West African nation’s prime minister, Ali Mahamane Lamine Zeine, said in an interview published by the Washington Post on Tuesday.

Zeine repeated allegations that a senior US delegation, including Molly Phee – the State Department’s top official for African affairs – who was in Niamey in March to negotiate the renewal of a decade-old defense agreement, attempted to dictate which countries should be Niger’s partners.

During the meeting, Phee warned the Sahel state against engaging with Iran and Russia at levels that were unacceptable to Washington if it wanted to maintain the US as a security partner, according to the Nigerien prime minister.

Phee also threatened sanctions if Niger pursued a deal to sell uranium to Iran, he reportedly added.

“When she finished, I said, Madame, I am going to summarize in two points what you have said. First, you have come here to threaten us in our country. That is unacceptable. And you have come here to tell us with whom we can have relationships, which is also unacceptable. And you have done it all with a condescending tone and a lack of respect,” Zeine said.

See the entire article here

The west is getting desperate. They are losing ground all around the world.

As usual they create chaos instead of accepting they've lost their 600 year imperial global control.

Bruce 

Stories from the battle grounds against empire

 

 

Russia tells UK, France, USA do not cross these red lines; US duplicity towards Israel; the "Resistance" strikes back.

The discussion about General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Xi's recent visit to France, Hungary and Serbia was quite important and interesting. Another world is being birthed.

Regis Tremblay interviews Costas Isichos (Greece), Blaz Kavcic (Slovenia) and Bruce Gagnon (Maine)

Zionists terrorize Gaza aid trucks & supplies

 

Sapir Sluzker Amran, an Israeli human rights lawyer who went to the Tarqumiyah crossing in Hebron to document the looting of a Gaza-bound aid convoy yesterday, has described the scenes to Al Jazeera.

For hours, a group of far-right Israeli activists tore food parcels out of aid trucks and destroyed them, including boxes of rice and noodles headed to desperately hungry people in Gaza. 

Police at the scene protected the activists, giving them “full permission to do whatever they wanted”, said Sluzker Amran. “I didn’t see anyone being arrested. The only one who was asked to leave was me,” she added, noting that the activists also threatened and physically attacked her for trying to document the incident. 

She said she believes police or security forces fed the activists information on when and where the aid trucks would arrive, with the information being shared openly on social media platforms.

A few examples....why NATO is dangerous

 

 

 

Latest GN Space Alert newsletter

 

Our latest edition of Space Alert is now at the print shop. It will be mailed in coming days to GN subscribers/members. 

This edition highlights the links between Pentagon space weapons production and Israeli military genocidal attacks on Palestine.

 

In addition we cover recent news from around the world where Washington's allies are ramping up war moves toward China and Russia. And we include stories and photos of peace groups around the globe opposing these dangerous war preparations.

 

We've posted Space Alert to our website where you can view it in full-color here.

 

If you'd like extra printed copies of the newsletter to share then let me know at globalnet@mindspring.com

 

Your donation will help us print and mail the newsletter - postage prices even for non-profits keep rising these days.

 

Best wishes to all.

 

Bruce K. Gagnon

GN Coordinator

 

View all of our social media links at https://linktr.ee/space4peace 

Support farm workers in New York against anti-union boss

 

 

The United Farm Workers Union (UFW) report:

In September 2023, we shared an outrageous video (above) with you showing the abuse and intimidation at Wafler Farms. Hundreds of thousands of people watched the video. Thousands of people took action telling the New York Department of Labor to intervene immediately. But they didn't. Now it appears worker leaders are being retaliated against.

After UFW posted this video on social media, the workers who were suspected of filming the video told us they began receiving extra attention and scrutiny on the job. In addition, throughout the 2023 season, workers expressed concern over issues around wage theft, occupational health and safety and general issues with disrespect and verbal abuse.

Tell the NY Department of Labor they should immediately investigate and act. Ask the Waflers to respect NY state law and stop intimidating and retaliating against workers who have been outspoken about labor violations. Additionally, they must address the issues of alleged wage theft, safety and abusive managers.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

In 1978 I was recruited out of the University of Florida (right before I finished my studies) to come to work for the UFW in Florida organizing fruit pickers. It was the UFW that trained me to be an organizer and I've been one ever since.

I will always cherish the training and my work for the union.

Bruce 

Words from former NATO military insider

 

Jacques Baud is a former member of Swiss strategic intelligence, a specialist in Eastern European countries and head of United Nations peace operations doctrine. 

He was engaged in negotiations with top Russian military and intelligence officials right after the fall of the USSR.

Within NATO, he participated in programs in Ukraine and in particular during the Maidan revolution [US orchestrated coup in Kiev] in 2014. 

Baud's Books: https://www.amazon.com.br/stores/auth...

Sunday song

 

 US rapper Macklemore has released a new track, Hind’s Hall, which gives support to Palestine

 

 

Is Türkiye sovereign or a U.S. puppet?

 

                                Dogu Perincek with a map of US military bases in Türkiye

 

  ‘We are in danger because of NATO membership’: Turkish Patriotic party is sounding the alarm
 The chairman of Türkiye’s Vatan Party speaks about the influence of the US, Palestine, and Israel, and the future of NATO

RT (By Abbas Juma)

When I told some of my colleagues and experts on Türkiye that I was going to Istanbul to visit the chairman of Türkiye’s Patriotic Party (Vatan Partisi), Dogu Perincek, the reactions were mixed. They ranged from complete indifference and irritation to great admiration. Skeptics said that both the party and its leader are “lame ducks” and have no future. However, Perincek himself disagrees with this opinion.

“Just wait a few years and we’ll make it into the parliament, you’ll see,” says the 81-year-old politician. Perincek believes that with each year, the Turkish people are moving further away from Western values and the politicians that represent them. This is largely due to the position of the US, which regularly demonstrates unfriendly and even aggressive behavior in the region, and in regard to Türkiye as well.

“Ordinary people see it, and our armed forces see it,” Perincek says. “Türkiye is America’s main target,” he says as he shows me a map of the country on which US military bases all around Türkiye are marked with US flags. A similar map of Iran was recently shared on the internet.

“In this sense, for Tehran it is much easier than for us,” he says.

“Because there’s no US embassy there?” I ask.

Perincek laughs.

“Iran is not a NATO member, that’s why we are in greater danger,” he says. 

Three stages of separation

According to Perincek, the contradictions between Ankara and Washington are mainly strategic, and cannot be solved in one day.

Dogu Perincek: I would divide the history of Turkish-US relations into three periods. The first lasted from 1945-1980, the second from 1980-2014, and the third started after 2014.

In the first period, the US tried to undermine Türkiye’s revolutionary achievements, but largely failed in this. After 1980, its main task was to integrate the Turkish economy into the global economy. Of course, integration with the global economy supposed the elimination of the country’s national economy, culture, and politics. [The West] even considered implementing this scenario by force. At the time, our party was the main political force that fought against this. At that time it was called the workers’ and peasants’ party. About 2,500 party members were thrown into prison where they were tortured. Moreover, the US attempted to create the “Kurdistan” project on Turkish territory. (Perincek calls it the “second Israel project”). We strongly protested against it and resisted it in any way we could. In 2014, we were finally able to free the officers and generals who were imprisoned in 2007.

Then, the long-awaited third period started, when Türkiye gradually began to distance itself from the US. This period was marked by the fight against terrorism and separatism. In response, in the summer of 2016, US agents prepared and attempted to carry out an armed coup. However, they failed. After that, the purges began. 140,000 traitors were dismissed from their posts or imprisoned. This resulted in a certain paradox: NATO [agents] were collectively punished, but Türkiye still remains a part of NATO.

RT: You said that the US has largely failed. But it continues to exert economic pressure on Türkiye. For example, it wants to prevent Türkiye from cooperating with Russia.

Dogu Perincek: That’s true. But its policy of pressuring [Türkiye] is about to reach a dead end. Türkiye is gradually moving closer to China, Russia, and Iran. However, this is a complex and slow process. On the one hand, the Erdogan administration does not want to completely break away from the Atlantic World, and on the other hand, it wants to get closer to Asian countries. [Turkish President] Recep Erdogan wants to be friends with Putin, but he also wants to have a good relationship with [US President Joe] Biden.

The US continues to exert pressure [on our country]. Türkiye has a large national debt and is import-dependent. The pressure is not only economic, [US] weapons are also directed against us (Perincek again points to the map). They are doing everything they can to force Türkiye to leave NATO sooner or later.

RT: But there is no legal mechanism for withdrawing from the alliance.

Dogu Perincek: Our people have already withdrawn from it. If you were to hold a referendum today, 80% of the Turkish population would vote in favor of leaving the North Atlantic alliance.

 

 

Atlanticists vs patriots

RT: However, when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Türkiye is on the side of NATO. For example, we’ve recently heard about the construction of a factory for the production of Bayraktar drones near Kiev.

Dogu Perincek: The division between the Atlanticists and patriots occurs in Türkiye at all levels. It also exists within the ruling party. The accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO and Türkiye’s policy in regard to Ukraine demonstrate that Atlanticism in Türkiye is still extremely strong.

RT: And what about the Turkish president – whose side is he on? Returning to the issue of producing Turkish UAVs in Ukraine, we may note that this campaign is headed by Erdogan’s son-in-law.

Dogu Perincek: Erdogan’s son-in-law Selcuk Bayraktar represents Atlantic interests. The Atlanticists want him to replace his father-in-law as the leader of the ruling party and of the country.

However, we cannot say that Erdogan himself fully supports the Atlanticists, because he understands very well that the Americans aren’t pleased with him. No matter how hard [Erdogan] tries to get closer to Washington, they will not accept him there. In this regard, the cancellation of the Turkish leader’s official visit to the US in May is quite telling. 

The Palestinian issue and Iran are weakening Western influence in Türkiye

RT: How did Türkiye and especially the Turkish elites react to the situation in Palestine and Iran’s attack on Israel?

Dogu Perincek: In the beginning [of the conflict], Erdogan did not want to make a specific decision regarding Palestine. But the desperate struggle of the Palestinian people forced him to take their side.

The October 7 Hamas attack [on Israel] and Iran’s strike dealt a serious blow to the Atlanticists in Türkiye. A few days ago, I attended a meeting at the Iranian Embassy concerning the Iranian armed forces. Turkish generals were present at this meeting. This is noteworthy, because high-ranking Turkish military officials did not attend such events in the past.

Of course, the West is trying to fight Iran’s influence in the region and in Türkiye. In particular, it makes use of religious radicals to fuel the Shiite-Sunni conflict, but without much success. 

Conclusion

In the course of our conversation, Perincek recalled his trip to Moscow in 1996. On this official visit, he met with several high-ranking Russian officials. According to Perincek, at the time he saw that “the great Russian spirit was suppressed.” But time passed and Russia got back on its feet.

“Once, under [former Russian President Boris] Yeltsin, you also followed a self-destructive course. But then the Russian people decided to focus on strengthening [Russia’s] sovereignty instead of integrating with the West. And that saved you,” Perincek said.

In the case of Türkiye, Perincek is sure that things will happen much faster since the process was launched ten years ago, and it won’t be long before the country comes out of the crisis – and then, perhaps even withdraws from NATO.

~ By Abbas Juma, an international journalist, political commentator, Middle East and Africa specialist

 

                                   
                                                              Istanbul, Türkiye

Israel busted again....more war crimes

 

 

In a CNN exclusive, Israeli whistleblowers reveal accounts of abuse and torture at Sde Teiman, a prison in Israel's southern Negev region.

Eyewitnesses report detainees are subjected to severe beatings, with some sustaining broken bones and teeth. 

Additionally, another eyewitness described certain medical procedures inflicted on wounded detainees as psychological torture.

When does any international entity do anything meaningful to stop all of these crimes against humanity? Why does Israel keep getting a free pass from Washington, London and Brussels? 

Listen to what zionists actually say....Update from Rafah

 

Zionist troops gleefully chant their true intentions.....

 

‘We are abandoned by the world and everyone feels betrayed’

Islamic Relief has released a statement with the account of a staff member in Gaza while also condemning Israel’s latest evacuation orders that, it said, have created utter “chaos and panic”.

Here’s what the charity’s worker said:

“I feel like this is the end. It feels like we will all be either trapped and killed in Gaza, or we will all be forced out. People have stayed in Rafah thinking it’s safe and hoping that global pressure would stop an invasion. But now we are abandoned by the world and everyone feels betrayed and let down.

“It’s an unimaginable scene, with tens of thousands of people looking for shelter. People are pale and thin, tired and afraid. There are children, women, elderly people and people with disabilities trying to flee in wheelchairs. Injured people have to leave hospital with recent bandages and bloodstains.

“In other parts of Gaza, the few bits of remaining land are now filling up with tents and shacks built of bits of wood and nylon.

“No humanitarian assistance has entered since Israel took over the Rafah crossing and Kerem (Karem) Abu Salem crossing closed. Bakeries have stopped working because they don’t have fuel, so we don’t have bread. We don’t have any water supply as that also depends on fuel deliveries, so yesterday we had to pay $50 just to refill our tank. Cars have stopped, so people coming from Rafah to the Middle Area are either walking or packed into vans carrying hundreds of people.

“Many people in Gaza are already suffering from famine, but now we are entering a new period of unprecedented hardship.”

 

Four al-Shifa Hospital medical staff killed, 42 detained

Among those found killed in al-Shifa Hospital are four health officials, said Gaza’s Health Ministry in a press statement, bringing the total number of medical staff killed during the war to 492.

In addition, the ministry said Israeli forces have detained 42 medical staff from the hospital, bringing the total number of detained health officials to 310.

The detained medical officials are held in “dire conditions” that threaten their lives, the ministry said, noting the recent death of surgeon Adnan al-Bursh in Israeli custody.

The ministry called on Israel to “immediately release all the medical staff…and to act swiftly to salvage what is left of our medical facility”. 

Fyodor Lukyanov: This is the question that could ultimately destroy EU-US unity

 

 

Western Europeans broadly see China as an opportunity, but Washington sees it as a threat. This has major geopolitical consequences

By Fyodor Lukyanov

Chinese President Xi Jinping is traveling in Europe for the first time in five years. His choice of capitals is calibrated. First was Paris, where French President Emmanuel Macron – who claims political leadership of the Western side of the continent – was joined by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. Together with Macron, she was in Beijing last year. Then there was Budapest and Belgrade, two European countries (one in the European Union, the other outside) that are showing an increased willingness to cooperate with Beijing.

China’s relations with Western Europe are one of the most interesting issues in contemporary world politics. Their view of the EU differs from that of Russia. Moscow has long since come to the conclusion that the Old World has completely abandoned its independent foreign policy course by aligning itself with the US. Brussels, Berlin, Paris, Helsinki and others seem not to be deterred by the consequences for their own prosperity and influence. Beijing, however, believes that the EU will not give up its autonomy, even if its dependence on American strategy grows. In other words, China thinks that a precise and active policy can create a series of incentives for the Western Europeans that will slow down their drift towards the US. And, accordingly, it will limit the bloc’s participation in a possible future military-political confrontation between the Washington and Beijing.

The research question, as they say in academic papers, is clear: Is the “collective West” a solid and sustainable union, or is the unity achieved so far more flimsy, camouflaging a growing divergence of interests?

The US sees China as a strategic rival for decades to come. Meanwhile, the EU doesn’t see it as a direct threat, although it is wary of Beijing’s growing power, including in the European region. The US sees Russia as a direct threat to European stability, but not as a serious threat to itself. But, of course, Western Europe is very afraid of Russia, and this fear is growing, leading to speculation about a variety of scenarios. At the same time, the US needs Western Europe for its strategy of containing China.

First, in the economic and technological sense, the EU should not develop cooperation with China in areas where the US wants to limit Beijing. Concurrently, the bloc needs the US to contain Russia in the military and military-technical sense. There are discussions about building up the EU’s own capabilities, but firstly they are rather abstract and secondly the process will take years. There is already an awareness of Western Europe’s over-dependence on America, but there is no way to solve the problem, and this is pushing the Old World to try to keep Washington as close as possible.

China is guided by the logic of economic pragmatism – why should the EU reduce its own capabilities? Indeed, for the last three or four decades, the bloc has dominated the world, and China has been its main beneficiary, transforming itself from a poor and backward country into a contender for world domination. Now, however, the logic of strategic competition is coming to the fore, and market profit is becoming a casualty.

But China has its own reasons. From Beijing’s point of view, the general direction of global development is towards economic interdependence and the need for everyone to expand the space for such relations. The renaissance of blocs, reminiscent of the Cold War, is not a prototype for the future of politics but a reversion to the past, a rearguard action of the twentieth century. In fact, the rivals of the time (Washington and Moscow) are trying to finish a game that didn’t end with a formalized result at the turn of the eighties and nineties. China is very afraid of being drawn into this process, believing, not unreasonably, that the side that avoids costly (in any sense of the word) conflicts will benefit most.

Hence China’s cautious stance on the Ukraine issue. Beijing firmly avoids criticizing Russia and expresses understanding for the reasons that prompted the military operation. However, it does not express direct support and treads very carefully so as not to give Washington an excuse to impose sanctions on its companies for violating the Western embargo on Russia. We should not expect a different position from Beijing, and it is even possible that the rhetoric about the need for a peaceful end to the conflict will intensify. A certain indicator will be the conference on Ukraine (initiated by Kiev) to be convened in Switzerland next month. The presence or absence of the Chinese will give it a different tone. Indeed, this is clearly what the organizers themselves believe.

Whether China will be able to weather the current storms to gain even more weight on the world stage remains to be seen. The same is true for the US, although much will depend on the outcome of the November elections. Putin and Xi Jinping will have much to discuss when they meet, apparently next week.

~  Fyodor Lukyanov, the editor-in-chief of Russia in Global Affairs, chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy, and research director of the Valdai International Discussion Club. 

Israel's 'Wolf Pack' surveillance system

 

Join MintPress director Mnar Adley as she embarks on walking through the city of Hebron, where her family originates from. Known to Palestinians as the city of al-Khalil, Hebron is the largest and most populated Palestinian city in the West Bank. 

Dubbed by Israel as 'Hebron Smart City' -- this is where Israel tests its Draconian surveillance technology on the Palestinian population as part of what is called the Wolfpack surveillance system. 

Mnar Adley takes us along her journey as she crosses through the most heavily armed and surveilled checkpoints in the world where Israel has set up an automated apartheid system to track Palestinian movement. 

Adley is joined by Palestinian activist Izzat Karake from Youth Against Settlements who chronicles the struggle against settler colonialism where armed Jewish settlers supported by Israeli soldiers are trying to take over the city to Judaize the quarter.

Hypersonics verses Missile Defense - Pentagon losing the battle

 

 

US Ground-Based Interceptor $85 million per missile based in Alaska. GBI has the worst testing success of any Pentagon 'missile defense' system

This article illustrates how the Pentagon has been wasting massive money on so-called high-tech systems that have now been made virtually useless by 'hypersonics' technologies that can beat 'missile defense'. 

 

More importantly it reveals how the US current $35 trillion in debt is haunting the Pentagon as they aim to wage wars against Russia and China (and Iran). 

 

The chickens are coming home to roost. 

 

Maine's Sen. Angus King (Independent), featured in the article, does not have a problem with the wars - he just wants to make sure the US can win them and cover the costs. 

 

Wouldn't it be cheaper and much safer for everyone if the US-NATO gave up on their grand plans to remain as the western rulers of the world? 

 

Thx to Stephen Shaw for sharing this article 

 

Bruce 

 

Sputnik 

US Defenseless Against Russian Hypersonic Missiles and Iranian Drones - Explosive DoD Testimony

An otherwise boring and formulaic briefing by senior Pentagon officials to lawmakers from the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces went off the rails on Wednesday after subcommittee Chairman Angus King took the floor and forced Department of Defense officials to reveal that North America is helpless against adversaries it has spent years agitating around the world.

“The truth is we have no defense for hypersonic missiles – yes or no? Mr. Hill, any defense on the hypersonic missile? You’re the commander of an aircraft carrier in the Greenland Gap. If we have a hypersonic missile launched from Murmansk [traveling at] 6,000 miles an hour, what do you do?” King asked, querying Deputy Secretary of Defense for Space and Missile Defense John Hill.

“We have some systems to defend in the terminal stage but we need more, you’re correct, Senator King… that our hypersonic defenses are inadequate and we do need [more]. SM-6 is in the Navy’s terminal range [capability], the Patriot – I’ll let General Gainey speak to the specifics on that. Those are examples but no argument, we need to focus on hypersonic defenses,” Hill responded.
“So why are we talking about 2029 and even stretching that out? This is next year kind of stuff. I don’t get your budget,” King countered, referencing the lack of focus on anti-hypersonic capabilities in current US defense spending plans.

“What we faced in the budget this year – it was a difficult year, particularly with the Fiscal Responsibility Act caps that we had to work with. There were must-pay bills that we had to work with for the personnel, the salaries, the health care, inflation costs. When you get down to the point of where you get down to the discretionary types of things where you can really control your choices,” Hill said.

“But that’s your mission – your mission is missile defense,” King retorted.

“The budget decisions are made at a higher level and so you’re trading off between readiness or your future investments,” Hill said.

“Well let me put the question another way: let’s say what happened on April 14 [Iran’s retaliatory missile and drone attack on Israel, ed.] happened over the Arctic Ocean – 300 missiles, drones, UAVs came across the Arctic Ocean toward Canada and North America. Could we do what Israel and we and other countries did – could we knock down 99 percent of those missiles coming in?” King asked.

“No chairman,” Air Force General Gregory Guillot, commander of US Northern Command and North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), responded.  

 

Avangard: Hypersonic Glide Vehicle Russia Credits With ‘Nullifying’ US Missile Defenses

 
 

“That’s of concern,” King said. “What’s the gap – is the gap interceptors, is the gap sensors? How come they could do it over there and we can’t do it here?” he asked.

“Part of the reason, Mr. Chairman, is because they have the deployed forces. So at the current time we have the capability in the services but they’re not assigned to Northcom’s area of responsibility,” Guillot said. “Also, just the numbers of the assets that we have in the region right now would not be sufficient to meet the attack of that size that the Iranians [used].”

“And in fact our capability in the region is really aimed toward North Korea, isn’t that correct? [...] It’s not designed to take on Russia or China. But that’s where the threat is. What’s the cost of one GBI?” King asked, referring to the US’ Ground-Based Interceptor anti-ballistic missile system.

“Sir, the GBI is approximately $80-$85 million,” Hill replied.

“One missile to intercept an incoming missile is $80 million,” an astonished King said. “Well in the Red Sea, the Houthis are sending $20,000 drones and we’re shooting them down with missiles that cost $4.3 million. The math doesn’t work on that, gentlemen. It just doesn’t work. What are we thinking?”

The senator went on to grill Pentagon officials for spending just one 1,000th of the defense budget on directed energy defenses, asking “what in the hell are you guys thinking?”

“Directed energy is the answer. It costs 25 cents a shot, and the budget’s gone down from $140 to $15 million a year. That’s a scandal. We can’t possibly defend ourselves with $80 million missiles. There’s not enough money in the whole world for that,” King emphasized.

“So I’ll look forward to some further response because right now, we don’t have much missile defense. Whether it’s to hypersonics, to drones, I’d like you guys to go back and really rethink what is your mission. If your mission is missile defense, we need to reorient what it is you do,” the senator summed up.