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Missile Defense Watch: United States Considering Deployment of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missiles in Japan
AP: Report: U.S. Mulls Defenses for Tokyo
The U.S. is considering deploying its advanced Patriot missile defense system near Tokyo after North Korea‘s recent missile and nuclear tests, a newspaper reported Sunday.
Washington unofficially informed the Japanese government it is considering putting Patriot Advanced Capability 3 surface-to-air interceptor missiles around Yokota Air Base in Tokyo’s western suburbs and around Yokosuka Naval Base, south of the capital, the Nihon Keizai newspaper reported without saying how it got the information.
The added defenses would cover critical U.S. military installations on the outskirts of Tokyo.
The move would be part of a previously announced U.S.-Japanese effort to deploy PAC-3 missile defense systems around the country as the two allies look for ways to counter what is seen as a growing threat from neighboring North Korea.
Information on the PAC-3 Patriot system is here.
Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) is a high/medium advanced surface-to-air guided missile air defense system. PAC-3 is a major upgrade to the Patriot system. The PAC-3 Operational Requirements Document (ORD) represents the Army Air Defense need to buy back required battlespace lost against the current and evolving tactical missile and air breathing threat. PAC-3 is needed to ounter/defeat/destroy the 2008 threat and to extend Patriot’s capabilities to accomplish new/revised missions. In tandem with the upgraded radar and ground control station, PAC-3 interceptors can protect an area about seven times greater than the original Patriot system.
The PAC-3 Program consists of two interrelated acquisition programs – The PAC-3 Growth Program and the PAC-3 Missile Program. The Growth program consists of integrated, complementary improvements that will be implemented by a series of phased, incrementally fielded material changes. The PAC-3 Missile program is a key component of the overall improvements of the Patriot system, it will provide essential increases in battlespace, accuracy, and kill potential.
The United States should immediately deploy this defensive missile system to protect its bases in Japan and to protect major Japanese population centers. Aegis sea based missile defenses are already deployed off the coasts of North Korea and Japan.
Additional information on the PAC-3 System is here.
North Korea alarmed the region in July by test firing several missiles, including a long-range model believed capable of striking the western U.S. Earlier this month, the isolated communist country sparked global outrage by its first-ever test of a nuclear bomb.
Analysts doubt North Korea’s ability to accurately deliver atomic weapons atop its missiles. But after the missile test, the U.S. and Japan announced plans to deploy the Patriots, which are designed to destroy ballistic or cruise missiles and aircraft.
U.S. military officials have already confirmed that the first batch of equipment for the PAC-3 missiles arrived in Okinawa in southern Japan, where the bulk of U.S. forces in the nation are stationed.
The Patriots would be used as a last resort if Standard Missile-3 interceptors fired from U.S. and Japanese ships fail to knock out incoming missiles, the report said.
Stay tuned…..
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Missile Defense Watch: U.S. Missile Defense Agency Rolls Out the Airborne Laser (ABL) Aircraft
Missile Defense Watch: The LEFT’S Revisionist History on Missile Defense
Missile Defense Watch: Reagan’s Vision
Missile Defense Watch: Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld Tours Alaska Missile Defense Center
Missile Defense Watch: United States and Israel Collaborating on Missile Defense
Missile Defense Watch: “Concept of Operations†To Be Done by Fall
Technorati Tags: MissileDefenseAgency, PAC-3, PatriotAdvancedCapabilityMissiles, Japan
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Missile Defense Watch: U.S. Missile Defense Agency Rolls Out the Airborne Laser (ABL) Aircraft
Boeing Airborne Laser Team Rolls Out Modified Aircraft and Prepares for Flight Tests
The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA – News) along with industry teammates and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, rolled out the Airborne Laser (ABL) aircraft today from a modification facility in Wichita, Kan., during a ceremony marking major program achievements on several fronts.
Boeing presented the aircraft to a crowd of hundreds of government customers, industry partners and Boeing employees gathered at its Integrated Defense Systems facilities in Wichita.
Details of the Airborne Laser (ABL) are here.
Another part of the TRIAD of United States Missile Defense rolls out and is nearer to deployment. This time it is Boast Phase Defense Segment.
Remarks by Lt Gen Obering at the Airborne Laser Rollout Celebration are here.
The Missile Defense Agency website is here.
9/11 is still very fresh on our minds … non-state actors and terrorists have shown they wish to do us and our country great harm. They only seek improved means to hasten our destruction. The news from North Korea and Iran has been consistently bleak. Their denunciations of the United Sates have been vitriolic, and to the extent they have been able, they have pursued programs to develop, test, and arm ballistic missiles of increasingly long range with lethal payloads.
There is also the issue of proliferation … either between individual states, or between states and their proxies, such as Hezbollah. Sometimes these transactions are done for ideological reasons, as seems to be the case with Iran. Sometimes they are purely for cash, as seems to be the case with North Korea. The end result, however, is the same … weapons of potentially great destruction in the wrong hands … hands that might be hard to see until the last moment.
The “why†is also about the revolutionary technology you are developing that has the potential to change the nature of warfare. You are developing a system that can interdict a threat missile in its boost phase, at a stage when every second counts … a system that the adversary cannot outrun.
The continuing development and deployment of the various segments of American Missile Defense should give non-state terrorist organizations and countries pause on a missile attack against the United States.
Stay tuned……
Previous:
Missile Defense Watch: The LEFT’S Revisionist History on Missile Defense
Missile Defense Watch: Reagan’s Vision
Missile Defense Watch: Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld Tours Alaska Missile Defense Center
Missile Defense Watch: United States and Israel Collaborating on Missile Defense
Missile Defense Watch: “Concept of Operations†To Be Done by Fall
Technorati Tags: MissileDefenseAgency, AirborneLaserAircraft, AirborneLaser, ABL
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Hezbollah Watch: Condoleezza Rices Pushes for Hezbollah Disarmament
United Nations peacekeeping forces leave their post in Tiri to patrol the area along the Blue Line that marks the border between Israel and Lebanon on 26 October 2006. UN peacekeepers deployed in Lebanon are unlikely to be able to disarm the militant group Hezbollah, as required under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov reportedly said.
AP: Rice presses for Hezbollah’s disarmament
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice stepped up international pressure on Hezbollah to disarm, saying the guerrilla group must surrender its weapons if it wants to remain part of Lebanon’s political process.
Rice, in an interview with the privately owned Lebanese Broadcasting Corp. aired Friday, urged Hezbollah to lay down its arms according to the Aug. 14 cease-fire that ended its 34-day war with Israel, and choose between being a militant group and a legitimate political organization.
As if Hezbollah a client terrorist organization of Iran cares about the political process in Lebanon? UNSC Resoultion 1701 is a joke. Hezbollah will NEVER disarm.
And there WILL be another war with Israel.
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice gestures while making remarks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2006.
Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria, has refused to disarm despite heavy international pressure to surrender its weapons. The group holds 11 seats in the Lebanese parliament and two spots in the Cabinet.
“If Hezbollah wants to be in politics… Hezbollah should be disarmed. You cannot have one foot in terror and the use of violence and the other foot in politics. It just doesn’t work that way,” Rice said.
“Hezbollah has to decide whether it’s going to maintain its terrorist wing and remain a terrorist organization or whether it’s going to … be part the political process,” she added.
Flap’s bet – Hezbollah = TERRORIST ORGANIZATION
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Israel at War Watch: Nasrallah – Hezbollah Will NOT Relinquish its Missile and Rocket Arsenal
Israel at War Watch: Hezbollah: We’re Arming for Second Round
Technorati Tags: Hezbollah, Israel, CondoleezzaRice
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Michael Ramirez on Politics and the Iraq War
AP: Bush, Iraq leader talk, try to ease rift
Embattled Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Bush agreed Saturday to expedite the hand-over of full control of Iraq’s army to the government as they seek to quell the insurgency and sectarian bloodshed.
The two leaders spoke for nearly an hour a day after al-Maliki declared he was a friend of the U.S., but “not America’s man in Iraq,” leading to talk of a growing rift between Washington and the Iraqi leader.
President Bush is indeed between a “ROCK and a HARD SPOT” prior to the November elections. Look for Iraq Prime Minister al-Maliki to either step up to the plate or be gone by January.
America must “WIN” this war and if it requires more troops and political changes – SO BE IT!
Technorati Tags: MichaelRamirez, IraqWar, GeorgeWBush, Nourial-Maliki
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Senator George Allen Watch: The CQ Interviews
Captain Ed interviews Senator George Allen.
CQ: Congress appeared gridlocked on immigration this last session until the Secure Fence Act passed somewhat unexpectedly. What led to the breakthrough, and will Congress stop with the border barrier? What differences are there between yourself and James Webb on immigration policy?
GA: I was very pleased that Congress passed the “Secure Fence Act†right before recess with overwhelming support because Members of Congress realized that this is a priority for Americans coast to coast and that it should not be held hostage to political posturing. I have always said that border security is my top priority – a country that cannot secure its own borders cannot control its own destiny. I voted against the Senate immigration bill because it did not adequately address our border security needs and because it also included amnesty. I firmly believe that rewarding illegal behavior will only encourage more illegal behavior. While I don’t support amnesty, my opponent has said that he believes that there a great many illegal immigrants who should be granted amnesty. This is a big difference between the two of us.
CQ: Republicans have heard an avalanche of bad news regarding the GOP’s chances in these midterms. What message do you have for Republicans in the final days of this campaign?
GA: The positive message that I am taking around Virginia is aimed at anyone who pays taxes, works for a living, or cares about their families. It’s a message of trusting free people and free enterprise versus big government solutions and plans. Specifically, I am talking about three missions for Virginia. First and foremost, protect our freedoms – that means supporting our troops in the War on Terror, securing our borders, and making America less dependent on foreign sources of energy sources. Second, make America a land of opportunity for all – lower taxes, less litigation, less regulation, more personalized healthcare options, and improved educational opportunities, especially in the areas of science, engineering, and technology. Third, preserve our foundational values – part of this is ensuring that unelected federal judges who are appointed for life do not disregard the will, the desire, and the hope of the American people.
It is up to the voters of Viriginia. But, Flap thinks there is only one choice for this Senate seat – George Allen.
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Senator George Allen Watch: Webb Says Boy’s Penis in Father’s Mouth “Not a Sexual Actâ€
Senator George Allen Watch: James Webb’s Weird World
Senator George Allen Watch: The N-Word FLAP – A Democrat Dirty Trick SET UP
Senator George Allen Watch: The N-Word FLAP
James Webb Watch: Nancy Reagan Demands Webb PULL Fraudulent Campaign Ad Featuring Ronald Reagan
Senator George Allen Watch: Webb NOW leads Allen in Latest Poll
Senator George Allen Watch: Allen Apologizes for Offensive Remarks – FLAP Part II
Senator George Allen Watch: Allen Apologizes for Offensive Remarks – FLAP
Technorati Tags: GeorgeAllen, JimWebb
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Day By Day by Chris Muir October 28, 2006
Australian Hijab Watch: The “UNCOVERED†Meat
THE nation’s most senior Muslim cleric has blamed immodestly dressed women who don’t wear Islamic headdress for being preyed on by men and likened them to abandoned “meat†that attracts voracious animals.