PRESIDENTS TRUMP'S GOLDEN DOME

 

President Trump has proposed a Golden Dome missile defense system around the North American continent extending as far west as Hawaii, Guam and the Philippines. Canada will also be defended by this system. This is long overdue in my view but Trump is the visionary that can make it happen. It is also part of a hemispheric defense strategy that will place less emphasis on trying to defend global interests and more emphasis on defending the American people and our interests as a nation.

As a child of the 1950's and 60's i grew up knowing the real fear of nuclear war. That was the height of the Cold War. We had duck and cover drills in school and watched countless documentaries on the effects of nuclear war. In the early 1960's people were building fallout shelters in their basements and their backyards. Many were built in my own neighborhood. There were popular movies during that time dealing with nuclear annihilation such as Fail Safe, On The Beach and Doctor Strangelove. The threat of nuclear war was the main topic of discussion with the adults and among my peers. I was terrified at the thought of being obliterated in a nuclear explosion or dying a long painful death from radiation sickness. I remember asking the question then why can't America build a defense system capable of shooting down Soviet bombers and missiles. Then followed those terrifying 13 days in October 1962 during the Cuban Missile Crisis when the world held it's breath.

It wasn't until years later that I discovered that the main reason Russia backed down during the missile crisis was that America had a 16 to 1 advantage in ICBM's or Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles along with a superior bomber and SLBM Submarine Launched Missile System force. Russia only had 5 ICBM's and most of their nuclear force was medium range missiles capable of striking Western Europe. The reason the Cuban Missile Crisis was so dangerous was that Russia was trying to achieve parity with the US by placing medium range missiles in Cuba just 90 miles off our shores. These missiles would have been capable of striking most of the continental US. The crisis was defused when Russia and America made a secret agreement to remove our medium range missiles from Turkey. They would then remove their missiles from Cuba.

Because Russia was seen as the loser in the Cuban Missile Crisis they were determined never to suffer such humiliation again. By the time I was stationed at NORAD, or North American Air Defense Command in Cheyenne Mountain Colorado, Russia had achieved parity with the US. They had actually surpassed us in ICBM's. America, however; has always been one step ahead of the Russians regarding technology. When they surpassed us in single warhead ICBM's we developed MIRV technology or Multiple Independently Retargetable Vehicle. In other words we could put as many as 14 warheads on one ICBM. They weren't able to do that until years later. We also developed the ability for pinpoint accuracy before the Soviets did. In the 1980's our submarines developed stealth technology where they could not be detected by Soviet submarines just to name a few advantages that we had over them.

While at NORAD I learned that America, as well as the Soviet Union, had a TRIAD system. This was a three pronged method of attack. We could attack them with ICBM's, bombers and submarines. They also had this ability. The Soviets were also developing a fourth way to attack us which was FOB's or Fractional Orbital Bombardment System. In other words they could attack us with nuclear missiles from space. China has plans for a much more advanced FOB's system. In 1971 when I was at NORAD there would only be about a thirty minute warning if we were attacked from the direction of Russia over the Eurasian land mass. Probably a little longer if we were attacked by bombers. If the attack was launched from submarines just off our east or west coast we may or may not be notified because our radar coverage was less reliable. It was even less reliable if it came from the Gulf of America. Our radar was much more reliable in the northern hemisphere because of the DEW Line or Distant Early Warning Line. It stretched from Diyarbikir Turkey through Greenland, northern Canada and the Aleutians.

Unfortunately we had very little actual air defense capabilities. We could knock down two thirds of their bombers but the remaining third would be enough to destroy our cities and military installations. We had no capability of shooting down missiles. I was shocked after learning this. Ronald Reagan was also shocked when he learned this in a NORAD briefing in 1977. This was the origins of SDI in his mind or Strategic Defense Initiative better known by the derisive name of Star Wars. This term was used by opponents of the system. Reagan, like Trump was a visionary. When Reagan proposed the system in 1983 we didn't have the technology to develop the system but the program was never given a real chance. Republicans under Reagan, Bush Sr. and Bush Jr. were always trying to develop the technology but Democrat administrations were always trying to kill it. We had developed enough technology to help us during the first Gulf War when Patriot Missile batteries were shooting down SCUDS and later when we built Israel's Iron Dome defense.

Leftists have always opposed protecting the American people. This goes back to the Kennedy administration. The leftists in Kennedy's cabinet and leftists since believe that any country that can protect its people and resources from the effects of nuclear weapons would be more likely to launch a first strike on an opponent. They believe that fear of nuclear war is a greater deterrent. The Kennedy administration developed the concept of MAD or Mutual Assured Destruction. In other words yes. you can surely destroy America but America can also destroy you. MAD has been a deterrent. We have avoided nuclear destruction since the Soviets developed the bomb in 1949. Multiple nations possess the bomb today. The problem with the MAD policy is that it doesn't take into account the possibility of an accidental launch or the advent of countries like Iran which are led by people who have a death wish. Although Trump's plan is long overdue it is no less needed today. We need to follow through with the Golden Dome and I know that Trump will. The system will be well worth the cost. The danger we face is that if a Republican doesn't win in 2028 there is no doubt in my mind that the left will do everything they can to undermine it because it was Trump's idea. We must not let that happen.