Posted by
zapdoodat on Thursday, February 21, 2008 5:50:02 PM
In the late 1930’s France was desperate to protect itself from Germany. Millions of French soldiers were killed in World War I, these dead soldiers were known as the ‘lost generation.’
World War I was fought in the trenches. The French thought the best way to protect themselves in the future was to make the ultimate trench, the Maginot Line. The Maginot Line was made of cement, big guns, and fortification and was a ‘virtual’ battleship on land for the entire length of the French-German border. For each armoured division that Nazi Germany added to its arsenal the French poured another 1000 tons of concrete.
Those who believe in missile defense are like the French who believed that the Maginot Line would protect them. The French wanted to protect their country after winning World War I, with General Blackjack Pershing's help.
We won the ‘Cold War’, against the Soviet Union and its fearsome weapon's systems. Everyone thinks the next war will be fought like the last one with the same weapons.
Too bad it's not so simple. There are many ways to get a nuclear bomb onto an American city. Most likely it will be smuggled in. How many illegal aliens are in the United States? How hard it is to smuggle in illegal drugs? What about a bomb in any container, on any ship, that is being imported?
Another method would be to sail a boat from Europe right into an American harbor, tie it up, walk away and..... Few ships coming into American waters are challenged, boarded and searched.
How about an enemy submarine coming within 50 miles of our coast, popping up, and firing a short range rocket or cruise missile in the general direction of a city. This scenario is more likely too happen, and in my view, more accurate than an ICBM.
It's convenient thinking that the enemy threat posed will be the most convenient for us to defend against. It just wont happen.
There were dozens of French generals with decades of experience. And it was all the wrong kind of experience.
A better value than a missile defense system would be to simply beef up the Coast Guard.