‘Fortress America’ needs alternatives to aging nukes

 

U.S. modernization of its nuclear triad of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), missile submarines and bombers armed with safe, reliable and effective nuclear weapons, in numbers sufficient to maintain rough parity with at least the Russian nuclear triad, is imperative to the deterrence of world war and survival of the free world.

Russia Deploys Its Avangard Glide Vehicle – the Unmatched Leader in Hypersonic Technology

 

On Oct. 12 CNBC reported that Russia had hit a snag in its development of its hypersonic weapon, because it was at the time unable to find a source for the critical carbon fiber components. The news agency stated that the Pentagon had doubts that the Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) existed. Skepticism seems widespread. Some believe that Russia’s new super weapons are “virtual reality,” while others think they are “mostly hype.” In March, the National Interest cited Michael Kofman, a research scientist for the Center for Naval Analyses and a highly respected analyst, who offered his assurances that there was no chance Russia could field its hypervelocity boost-glide weapon by 2019.  But history has shown that those who believed it to be just a bluff have been proven wrong.

Putin Announces New Hypersonic Weapon Will Be Deployed In “Months”

Glancing at the current position in the 53.5 Year War Cycle, it seems the “Mid-90s Peace Dividend” has transitioned into the chaotic world of today: Cold War 2.0, but this time — conflict is more likely.

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that Moscow would deploy new Avangard hypersonic glider warheads in the “coming months,” adding that Russia’s hypersonic program is the most advanced in the world, according to a new report from the Financial Times.

“We are improving our attack systems in response to the construction of a missile defense system by the United States. Some of them are already in service, and some will be supplied in the near future,” said Putin, who was speaking at the Valdai Discussion Club in the Black Sea resort of Sochi Thursday, adding that Moscow’s hypersonic weapons program was well ahead of China and the US.

“The Avangard system [will be deployed] in the next few months.” 

“It is a fact of life that we are ahead of all our partners and competitors in this sphere of high precision, hypersonic weapons,” he said.

“No one else has that . . . In that sense, we feel very comfortable, very safe.” 

Stocking Up for World War III

 

Nuclear nonproliferation efforts are ending. A new arms race has begun.

Since the United States and the Soviet Union backed away from the precipice of nuclear war in the 1980s, the world’s stocks of nuclear weapons have declined from an estimated 60,000 to an estimated 10,000.

According to a 2014 study by science journal Earth’s Future, however, it would take just 100 nuclear detonations to create a worldwide climate catastrophe causing massive famine and death.

North Korea continues to dismantle missile launch site, but no signs of any moves to scrap nuclear weapons

Satellite imagery from August 3 indicates additional dismantlement activities are ongoing at the Sohae launch facility. Photo: 38 North

 

Satellite images suggest work is continuing to demolish Sohae facilities, but analysts suggest it may want to keep other parts of its arsenal intact for now

North Korea appears to have taken another step towards dismantling its fixed missile launching facilities after the US stepped up the pressure to disarm, but so far it appears to have left other facilities and its nuclear warheads intact.

The hermit state appears to be continuing to take down its key intercontinental ballistic missile facilities (ICBM) at Sohae, located at about 200km (120 miles) northwest of the capital Pyongyang, according to the North Korea monitoring group 38 North on late Tuesday.

Putin Says Lasers & Hypersonic Missiles In Service Are ‘Not All’. More Advanced Weapons To Be Announced Soon

 

On June 7, Russian President Vladimir Putin announce that all the recently unveiled state-of-the-art Russian weapons will be put into service in time addign [sic] that some are already adopted. The announcement was made during his annual Q&A session in Moscow.

“The hypersonic air-deployed Kinzhal system – the missile which can travel at 10 Mach speed – is already used by our troops in the South Federal District,” the president said. “A laser combat system is in service as well.”

China Flight Tests New Multi-Warhead ICBM

(CCTV screenshot)

 

Tenth DF-41 launch shows Beijing’s most lethal nuclear missile nears deployment

China moved closer to deploying its newest and most lethal strategic weapon by conducting the 10th flight test of the DF-41 intercontinental-range missile last week.

Defense officials said the flight test of the multi-warhead DF-41 took place May 27 at the Taiyuan Space Launch Center in northern China and flew overland several thousand miles to an impact zone in the western Gobi Desert.

“We are aware of recent flight tests and we continue to monitor weapons development in China but we cannot provide information on specific tests,” Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Lt. Col. Christopher Logan told the Washington Free Beacon.

Russia Unleashes Test ICBM Barrage

(Photo Credit: Russian Defense Ministry)

 

This was the first time a four-missile salvo of the new Bulava ICBM was launched from a submarine.

…

The video shows the Borei-class ballistic missile submarine Yuriy Dolgorukiy diving to launch depth and its crew preparing for the launch. Then, it switches to an external view from an observer ship, and shows four Bulava ICBMs being launched in a rapid-fire salvo.

Russia hypersonic weapon likely ready for war by 2020: US intel

In this video grab provided by RU-RTR Russian television via AP television on Thursday, March 1, 2018, a computer simulation shows the Avangard hypersonic vehicle en route to target. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)

 

• Russia has successfully tested a hypersonic weapon the United States is currently unable to defend against, according to sources with direct knowledge of U.S. intelligence reports.
• The Avangard hypersonic glide vehicle is expected to enter Russia’s arsenal by 2020.
• The weapon could be outfitted with a nuclear warhead but would be able to create destruction even without explosives.

A Russian weapon the U.S. is currently unable to defend against will be ready for war by 2020, according to sources with direct knowledge of American intelligence reports.

The sources, who spoke to CNBC on the condition of anonymity, said Russia successfully tested the weapon, which could carry a nuclear warhead, twice in 2016. The third known test of the device, called a hypersonic glide vehicle, was carried out in October 2017 and resulted in a failure when the platform crashed seconds before striking its target.

Why is America still stuck with token missile defense?

The covers of silos housing ground-based interceptor missiles at the Fort Greely missile defense complex in Fort Greely, Alaska, on April 26, 2018. Photo: Reuters/Mark Meyer

 

The answer harks back to a 1972 treaty, and despite that agreement expiring years ago, defense experts and politicians failed to move with the times

The short answer: the anti-defense mentality of late 1960s politicians and academics, embodied in the spirit and main provisions of the 1972 US-Soviet anti-ballistic defense missile treaty, remains embedded in the US bureaucracy, our military and defense industry.

That spirit is the heart of official US policy: we must do nothing, develop or research anything, that poses obstacles to missiles from Russia or China striking America.

We could have shipping containers full of foreign nukes in our ports and not know it

For more on the subject of foreign shipping container nukes within the U.S., please see the following previous posts:

THE REAL RUSSIA STORY — Port Canaveral “Project Pelican” and Uranium One deals connected through the Jafars

Were the Russians Hiding a Nuke in D.C.?

Northcom: Russian Cruise Missile Threat to U.S. Grows

Expert: Iran ships a dry run for later nuclear/EMP attack; humiliate Obama

 

Two occasional papers were recently published by the Center for Security Policy.  The first, entitled “What Could Possibly Go Wrong?,” was published in late 2016.  The second, “The Perfect Storm,” was published in 2017.  Both papers describe a 35-year lease to a cargo container terminal on the eastern seaboard of the United States.  The peculiar discoveries in the papers made by investigative journalists Mary Fanning and Alan Jones have not received the national media attention they warrant.

In 2014, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-based company Gulftainer was awarded a three-and-a-half decade lease to operate the cargo container terminal at Port Canaveral, Florida.  The peculiarity of this acquisition rests on the fact that Gulftainer is co-owned by the emir of Sharjah, UAE, and Dr. Jafar Dhia Jafar, who is the brother of Saddam Hussein’s nuclear mastermind.  During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Dr. Jafar was an official of the Iraqi regime who could have been engaged as a military target.

Why is this alarming?  In part, it is because Dr. Jafar has also been credited with the design of a miniaturized nuclear weapon, commonly known as the “Beach Ball.”  North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un has appeared standing by a similarly purported nuclear weapon in recent photographs.  This type of nuclear weapon can easily fit inside the nosecone of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and can cause the kind of catastrophic damage the United States has never seen.

The danger to America is not just that Gulftainer is co-owned the family of Saddam Hussein’s top nuclear mastermind, Dr. Jafar, and the emir of Sharjah, but also that Gulftainer is also in a joint venture with Kontsern-Morinformsistem-Agat, the Russian company that makes the Club-K missile launch system.  The Club-K system looks identical to standard ocean containers that are shipped by the billions all over the world.  The alarming difference between the ordinary cargo containers is evident by what’s found on the inside of the Club-K containers.  Four cruise missiles are housed in each Club-K system and can be launched directly from the container – even remotely.

THE UNSTOPPABLE BOMB: Putin boasts Russia has developed an intercontinental nuclear missile that can’t be stopped or shot down by any country’s defence system

Putin claimed the rocket was capable of neutralising American missile defence. This is the computer generated image shown at his speech

 

Vladimir Putin said the rocket travels 20 times the speed of sound and has unlimited range

VLADIMIR Putin says Russia is developing an “unstoppable” nuclear cruise missile which cannot be intercepted by any anti-missile system on earth.

The newly developed intercontinental ballistic rocket with “unlimited range” was one of several unveiled by the Russian leader in his state of the nation address in Moscow.

They include a nuclear-powered cruise missile, a nuclear-powered underwater drone and new hypersonic missile which apparently have no equivalent.

Footage shown during his speech apparently showed the new “unstoppable” missile heading toward the United States as he promises to “neutralise” America’s missile defence.

“Russia remained a nuclear power but no one wanted to listen to us,” Putin, 65, told lawmakers. “Listen to us now.”

Exclusive: Pentagon evaluating U.S. West Coast missile defense sites – officials

FILE PHOTO: A Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptor is launched during a successful intercept test, in this undated handout photo provided by the U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency. U.S. Department of Defense, Missile Defense Agency/Handout via Reuters/File Photo

 

SIMI VALLEY, Calif (Reuters) – The U.S. agency tasked with protecting the country from missile attacks is scouting the West Coast for places to deploy new anti-missile defenses, two Congressmen said on Saturday, as North Korea’s missile tests raise concerns about how the United States would defend itself from an attack.

West Coast defenses would likely include Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missiles, similar to those deployed in South Korea to protect against a potential North Korean attack.

The accelerated pace of North Korea’s ballistic missile testing program in 2017 and the likelihood the North Korean military could hit the U.S. mainland with a nuclear payload in the next few years has raised the pressure on the United States government to build-up missile defenses.

Hawaii tests cold-war nuclear sirens in the face of North Korea threat

A Hwasong-12 intermediate range missile launches in North Korea on Aug. 30, 2017. Hawaiian emergency agencies are resuming testing of nuclear sirens used in the cold war in case of an attack by North Korea. (Korean Central News Agency/Korea News Service/AP)

 

With tensions surrounding North Korea still rising, Hawaii plans to reactivate its early warning system in the event of a nuclear attack. Along with the siren testing, emergency officials hope to inform residents of how to protect themselves in their homes.

NOVEMBER 28, 2017 —Hawaii this week will resume monthly statewide testing of its cold war-era nuclear attack warning sirens for the first time in about 30 years, in preparation for a potential missile launch from North Korea, emergency management officials said.

North Korea Says “Completed State Nuclear Program”; Warns “The Whole US Is In Range”

 

North Korea claims its “new ICBM can put whole U.S. mainland within range,” says it has “realized great historic cause of completing state nuclear force”

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Following the successful test-firing of its longest range ICBM yet today, Yonhap News reports, citing North Korean media, that North Korea will make an important announcement at noon Seoul time (10:30pm ET).