Pentagon plans long-range missile defense radar in Alaska

[humble3d]

Pentagon plans long-range missile defense radar in Alaska   

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Defense Department on Friday announced plans to deploy a new 

 

long-range radar in central Alaska that would help the U.S. missile defense system better 

 

discern potential enemy missiles launched by Iran or North Korea and increase the capacity 

 

of interceptors in the ground in Alaska and California.

 

Raytheon Co, Northrop Grumman Corp and Lockheed Martin Corp are competing to build the new 

 

radar, which is expected to cost just under $1 billion.

 

The new radar would begin defensive operations in 2020, pending completion of required 

 

environmental and safety studies, the department said in a statement.

 

It said the new long-range discrimination radar (LRDR) will help the multi-layered U.S. 

 

ballistic missile defense system better address potential countermeasures that could be 

 

launched by potential foe to confuse U.S. defensive systems.

 

Missile Defense Agency Director James Syring and other senior Pentagon officials told 

 

Congress in March that the new radar was critically important to help defend against the 

 

increasing capabilities by North Korea and Iran to launch missiles at the United States.

 

Admiral James Winnefeld, vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, this week told the 

 

Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank that Washington took both the 

 

Iranian and North Korean threats seriously, even though neither country had a mature 

 

capability to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles.

 

The Pentagon said the new radar would likely be placed at Clear Air Force Station, an Air 

 

Force Space Command radar station in central Alaska, but the final decision would be made 

 

after completion of the environmental studies.

 

Riki Ellison, founder of the nonprofit Missile Defense Advocacy Alliance, said placing the 

 

new radar in central Alaska rather than in the Alaskan Aleutian islands would allow the 

 

system to keep an eye on threats from both North Korea and Iran.

 

He said it would also considerably cost less to build the new radar in Alaska, which could 

 

free up funding for an additional radar in Hawaii.

 

The Missile Defense Agency is moving ahead with the design and development of the long-

 

planned new radar. It launched the competition in January and is expected to award a 

 

contract by Sept. 30, the end of the current fiscal 2015 year.

 

https://news.yahoo.com/pentagon-plans-long-range-missile-defense-radar-alaska-045855544--
finance.html

 

[Draggendrop Veteran]

I caught this on a few blogs...interesting but didn't make sense until I went to the Department of Defense site...

 

http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=17294

 

it is actually a piece of the surveillance puzzle, such as an added "sensor" if you will, not as a stand alone system which would be unorthodox for it's location and targeting requirements.

 

The system will help augment the network, create jobs and pad pockets but I wish government would stop using "the enemy flavor of the day". North Korea and Iran are "apples and oranges"  to justify the expense. " ISIS" would be a better substitute in lieu of Iran.......5 years from now, the enemy could be irate taxpayers...!     

[FunkyMike]

I caught this on a few blogs...interesting but didn't make sense until I went to the Department of Defense site...

 

http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=17294

 

it is actually a piece of the surveillance puzzle, such as an added "sensor" if you will, not as a stand alone system which would be unorthodox for it's location and targeting requirements.

 

The system will help augment the network, create jobs and pad pockets but I wish government would stop using "the enemy flavor of the day". North Korea and Iran are "apples and oranges"  to justify the expense. " ISIS" would be a better substitute in lieu of Iran.......5 years from now, the enemy could be irate taxpayers...!     

 

Are we thinking Eskimo ISIS here?

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Are we thinking Eskimo ISIS here?

Actually I was inferring to the hatred ISIS has for democracy and their future ability to acquire nasty "toys" from other regimes. I have spent many years in the arctic and can assure you the Inuit have no plans for snow ball gatling guns......

[DocM]

This is more for potential incoming ICBM warheads from NK or low warhead number submarine SLBM attacks in the North Pacific. The ABM system isn't robust enough to counter potential a Russian attack.

That said, improvements are coming.

In addition to the land based ABM system in Alaska the US is fielding a lower cost land based version of the Aegis SM-3 system on US cruisers and destroyers under the name Aegis Ashore.

There are also directed energy weapons coming for land, sea and air. Up until now experinental directed energy has been limited to about 30kW, required heavy generators, and was mainly for destroying drones, incoming mortar rounds, artillery and sea-skimming missiles.

Now a much more powerful liquid cooled 3rd gen solid laser system known as HELLADS is portable, powered by lithium ion batteries and light in weight - about 5 kg/kW. This puts a ship based megawatt class directed energy weapon within reach.

A large airborne HELLADS massing a few tonnes would be useful for ABM systems, and smaller ones for tactical aircraft like drones, fighters and for ground attack.

General Atomics (Predator & Reaper) is already talking about putting a 150 kW HELLADS in its upcoming Avenger next-gen drone.

HELLADS

[FloatingFatMan]

 

... Is that an -actual- pic or just a mockup?

[DocM]

Concept art, but if the beam energy gets high enough it can ionize the atmosphere creating a plasma channel that may glow. A beam whose wavelength is in the visible spectrum may show due to atmospheric dust or water vapor along its path.

[Defcon]

And they say theres no money for schools, medical care, food or anything that really matters.

[DocM]

Schools are state and locally funded, not federal. This is a federal program.

The problem with health care funding isn't the quantity, it's the waste, program duplication, arcane management, and in the case of Obamacare style and sweetheard deals with insurance and drug companies vs. substance.

Food is a qualitative not quantitative issue. Many low income folks illegally cash out their EBT cards, feed the family cheap fast food then use the rest for wants rather than needs; drugs, alcohol, grownup toys (gaming systems rtc) that the EBT won't pay for.

[FloatingFatMan]

Concept art, but if the beam energy gets high enough it can ionize the atmosphere creating a plasma channel that may glow. A beam whose wavelength is in the visible spectrum may show due to atmospheric dust or water vapor along its path.

 

I was gonna say! Never before seen a laser beam that's not only visible in daylight, but that thick, too!

 

Wouldn't atmospheric dust & water vapour tend to scatter/diffuse the beam over long distance?

[DocM]

Adaptive optics can be used to control beam quality in such environments. Boeing, SAIC and the DoD High Energy Laser-Joint Technology Office (HEL-JTO) in Albuquerque NM have been developing them. Also, there are wavelength windows where water and CO2 don't absorb much.

[Defcon]

Schools are state and locally funded, not federal. This is a federal program.

The problem with health care funding isn't the quantity, it's the waste, program duplication, arcane management, and in the case of Obamacare style and sweetheard deals with insurance and drug companies vs. substance.

Food is a qualitative not quantitative issue. Many low income folks illegally cash out their EBT cards, feed the family cheap fast food then use the rest for wants rather than needs; drugs, alcohol, grownup toys (gaming systems rtc) that the EBT won't pay for.

So what? If billions of dollars have to be wasted, let it be on social care rather than more defense spending.

I love how you classify all low income people as undeserving, and the problem with healthcare is we are the only country unwilling to give free health care to its people, because it'd decrease corporate profits.

[DocM]

>

I love how you classify all low income people as undeserving,

.

They are deserving, but that is no excuse for SOME of them to violate the rules, and often the law, when it comes to their benefits. Even the Obama administration sees this as a serious problem so why are you willing to look the other way?

....and the problem with healthcare is we are the only country unwilling to give free health care to its people, because it'd decrease corporate profits.

Providing it free doesn't cure its many problems problems, and history shows most all of them wouldn't be addressed. Obanacare avoided these like the plague.

In the end all Obamacare did, and doing it free will do, is put a pretty window dressing in the same old problems and make others worse.

[+Red King Subscriber²]

2020 seems late for Russia's militarism IMO

[ctebah]

And they say theres no money for schools, medical care, food or anything that really matters.

 

Why spend the money fixing the economy when you can spent it on fighting imaginary enemies.  Instead of so much wasted money (#1 in the world in Defense spending) they could work on fixing the social and economic issues in the country (also #1 for the incarceration rate per capita in the world).

[Emn1ty]

They are deserving, but that is no excuse for SOME of them to violate the rules, and often the law, when it comes to their benefits. Even the Obama administration sees this as a serious problem so why are you willing to look the other way?

 

Low income people don't need to follow rules, because they are poor and therefore we need to feel sorry for them.

[DocM]

Why spend the money fixing the economy when you can spent it on fighting imaginary enemies.

AQ, ISIS, Taliban, Russia rebuilding its arsenal, China building up at a high rate while threatening international shipping in the China Sea, plus emerging threats like NK miniaturizing its nukes and putting them on stealthy hybrid diesel-electric submarines - some are stealthier than nuclear subs. Nothing "imaginary" about them.

Instead of so much wasted money (#1 in the world in Defense spending)

Only in raw dollars, about half of which go towards retirements, the Veterans Administration, dependant housing and benefits etc. The latest estimates are that by 2045 China will tie or overtake the US in raw military spending.

If you compare it by percentage of GDP the European Union already spends almost the same proportion as the US, about 22%.

...they could work on fixing the social and economic issues in the country (also #1 for the incarceration rate per capita in the world).

I agree that we incarcerate too many for minor nonviolent crimes, but do we really want the Bernie Madoff's to skate? As far as the violent criminals, repeat offenders and drug dealers go they can effin' rot. I'm willing to build as many prisons as it takes to keep them off the streets.

[ctebah]

AQ, ISIS, Taliban, Russia rebuilding its arsenal, China building up at a high rate while threatening international shipping in the China Sea, plus emerging threats like NK miniaturizing its nukes and putting them on stealthy subs. Not thing "imaginary" about them.

 

US spent $8 billion on training Iraqi soldiers.  Know where I'm going with that one?  The rest are created as a result of unnecessary US military interventions.  Russia is modernizing, not threatening US.  China isn't threatening anything, those shipping lanes are used by their exports and imports.  NK has always only blown smoke.  Try not to believe the media as much...

 

 

 

Only in raw dollars, about half of which go towards retirements, the Veterans Administration etc. The latest estimates are that by 2045 China will tie or overtake the US in raw military spending.

If you compare it by percentage of GDP the European Union already spends almost the same proportion as the US, about 22%.

 

 

 

 

The following table presents the military expenditures of the members of the European Union in euros (

[Defcon]

Why spend the money fixing the economy when you can spent it on fighting imaginary enemies. Instead of so much wasted money (#1 in the world in Defense spending) they could work on fixing the social and economic issues in the country (also #1 for the incarceration rate per capita in the world).

We are #1 in killing people, not much else.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Getting back on topic...The defense radar in Alaska, is just that, defense...a sensor for a much more complicated strategy. Evert article..literally...states Iran as a reason. I only wish that "Government" would not paint countries with the "terror brush" without both sides of the story presented. For Iran.. are they angels...no they are not... BUT... they have been militarily SURROUNDED by numerous countries with extensive weapons in a volatile area. They have a highly educated younger populace who want to be a part of the modern world. Most advances they have done have been for power generation and defensive capabilities. They are subject to nuclear inspections and have been for the most part, trying to fit in...check to see what neighbor of there's has NO nuclear inspections of any kind and continually "whines" about anything they do.

 

http://aviationweek.com/defense/iran-produces-first-long-range-missile      Defense

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93U.S._RQ-170_incident         Defense

 

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32621300                    Defense and commercial litigation

 

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-G-N/Iran/    Power generation, medical, research and a few "questionables to be dealt with"

 

Any country in the world can develop a defense system and nothing is said unless you are "the perceived problem child"

 

someone had to say something...and I'll take the mud slinging...but lets get real here....Cheers

[Defcon]

AQ, ISIS, Taliban, Russia rebuilding its arsenal, China building up at a high rate while threatening international shipping in the China Sea, plus emerging threats like NK miniaturizing its nukes and putting them on stealthy hybrid diesel-electric submarines - some are stealthier than nuclear subs. Nothing "imaginary" about them.

Only in raw dollars, about half of which go towards retirements, the Veterans Administration, dependant housing and benefits etc. The latest estimates are that by 2045 China will tie or overtake the US in raw military spending.

If you compare it by percentage of GDP the European Union already spends almost the same proportion as the US, about 22%.

I agree that we incarcerate too many for minor nonviolent crimes, but do we really want the Bernie Madoff's to skate? As far as the violent criminals, repeat offenders and drug dealers go they can effin' rot. I'm willing to build as many prisons as it takes to keep them off the streets.

You must be joking, the US has killed more innocent people than any of those 'threats'.

Getting back on topic...The defense radar in Alaska, is just that, defense...a sensor for a much more complicated strategy. Evert article..literally...states Iran as a reason. I only wish that "Government" would not paint countries with the "terror brush" without both sides of the story presented. For Iran.. are they angels...no they are not... BUT... they have been militarily SURROUNDED by numerous countries with extensive weapons in a volatile area. They have a highly educated younger populace who want to be a part of the modern world. Most advances they have done have been for power generation and defensive capabilities. They are subject to nuclear inspections and have been for the most part, trying to fit in...check to see what neighbor of there's has NO nuclear inspections of any kind and continually "whines" about anything they do.

http://aviationweek.com/defense/iran-produces-first-long-range-missile Defense

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran%E2%80%93U.S._RQ-170_incident Defense

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32621300 Defense and commercial litigation

http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/Country-Profiles/Countries-G-N/Iran/ Power generation, medical, research and a few "questionables to be dealt with"

Any country in the world can develop a defense system and nothing is said unless you are "the perceived problem child"

someone had to say something...and I'll take the mud slinging...but lets get real here....Cheers

Its just an excuse, I.e a total lie, just like WMD, to spend more money and feed public the terror propaganda.

[Draggendrop Veteran]

All we need now is a "young gun private company" to use the SpaceX approach and get into this market...wouldn't a certain company have a migraine....

[Draggendrop Veteran]

Just to set the record straight...I think the radar will produce many valuable jobs...will generate many spin off's...and since it is "defense", I'm all in for it. But...I wish that shortly a smaller group of upstarts will be able to participate in the bidding process as well. Why stop "revolutionizing" with just space ventures. Let the 

best and the brightest we have shine.....Cheers...

[DocM]

>

Russia is modernizing, not threatening US.

So is the US. Many of our bombers are 50-60 Yeats old, and the B2 is too expensive to maintain. Same goes for replacing outdated carriers etc.

China isn't threatening anything, those shipping lanes are used by their exports and imports.

That's why the threatened US aircraft over the SCS last week?

NK has always only blown smoke. Try not to believe the media as much...

Try reading some, and I don't mean US media. Earlier this month North Korea successfully tested a submarine launched ballistic missile (SLBM). That they've miniaturised their warheads was announced earlier this year, and there's no reason to doubt them. It's not like the laws of physics change at their border, and they have some good engineers and physicists - many trained in the West.

As far as the stealthy diesel subs go, they use air independent propulsion which is often quieter than nuke boats. The tech isn't rwally top secret, and Russia, Germany, France, Japan, China and others are building them. Its not going to be hard for NK to reverse engineer and adapt. South Korea already has some so NK is motivated.

It's a known fact that if you spend more on social programs you will lower the incarceration rate. US is instead choosing to let private companies build jails and bribe judges. Funny how the incarceration rate rose in many states once private jails opened....

Private prisons here were built because of an overload of violent criminals in outdated govt. facilities. The courts ruled the overcrowding to be unconstitutional and some had to be released, most of which robbed, killed etc. again. About 70% recidivism in most cases.

To stop this from happenung again capacity was increased, and it was cheaper to contract new facilities out than to build them.