Pentagon calls mystery missile 'unexplained,' cannot rule out threat

NY Post ^ | 11/09/2010 | NY Post

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

The Pentagon said Tuesday that a missile launch off the southern coast of California remained “unexplained” and that its mysterious origins meant that it was not possible to rule out any threat to the homeland, Fox News Channel reported.

Earlier Tuesday, NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) and NORTHCOM (United States Northern Command) officials told Fox there was no threat, but Pentagon Spokesman Col. Dave Lapan would not confirm that because the military does not know what the missile was or where it came from.

[Never on my watch]

...told Fox there was no threat, but Pentagon Spokesman Col. Dave Lapan would not confirm that because the military does not know what the missile was or where it came from...

Well, that's reassuring.

Give the Pentagon a break. They are stretched very thin trying to implement the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell."

Missile launches are so 1980's. They forbid homosexuality back then.

[RobRoy]

Based on the information at hand at this point, this is absolutely huge. This sort of thing with no government knowledge suggests I need to get in my car with all my worldly possessions I can stuff in it and head from Seattle to my farm in Kentucky RIGHT NOW with LOTS of extra full gas cans.

Something is not right with this.

[jwparkerjr]

Either our guys really don’t know what it was or they know and are not telling. Either way, ignorance or subterfuge it’s of great concern, IMHO.

What if it’s trajectory had been toward the West Coast and not out toward open sea? Are they telling us a missile this size could be successfully launched on 35 miles from our shores and we wouldn’t know what hit us had it come out way?

For my money that’s simply inexcusable. Has our national defense slipped to the point that a ship capable of firing a missile clearly visible from 35 miles away could get into that area without being detected and identified.

I am hoping there is a better explanation forthcoming.

[Abathar]

Of course it could just be one of these guys, in which case I would not want to be them it they decided to launch one without getting the proper permits first...

[marshmallow]

If the Pentagon truly doesn't know, that's bad news.

If they do know but aren't telling us, that's not good news, either.

However, I think I'd prefer the latter to the former. If it's the latter, at least they're on top of things and think, for whatever reason, we don't need to know.

The former means that the military is having a "WTF" moment and are blundering around in the dark.

[arkady_renko]

New Hidden Missile System Unknown To Feds

The promotional video for the Club K Missile system is part of the marketing campaign by a private, Russian-based weapons manufacturer. The cruise missile system is hidden in a 40-foot shipping container. It can fire four long range satellite-guided missiles from a ship, train or tractor-trailer.

The Club K is being marketed at international weapons shows as a military weapon. In the hands of a terrorist group the container could easily be smuggled into the United states. It is so new most international security experts have never heard of it. "To look at an entire weapons system that can be put on a cargo ship and deployed is frightening," said Brent Brown an international security consultant, "It is a pretty devastating piece of technology that could have all kinds of collateral damange."

[The Magical Mischief Tour]

I am hoping there is a better explanation forthcoming.

Would probably be a good idea at this point...

[Carry_Okie]

Well at least this beats the Flight 800 case where 300 people didn't see one.

[Gator113]

What did it miss?

[pissant]

They know exactly what it is and who fired it.

[ml/nj]

Just ask the more than 150 eyewitnesses who watched the rocket that brought down TWA 800 on a clear July evening in 1996.

This is quite different from TWA800. There were NOTAMS for that.

ML/NJ

[4yearlurker]

No,but Charlie Sheen lost a 150,000 dollar watch when he got drunk and stupid last week! HLN was right on top of this story!

[TalonDJ]

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems to me like, as a threat, it was traveling in the WRONG DIRECTION. :O

If you can sail a sub up to within 35 miles and launch a missile AWAY from our coast you can just as easily do it and launch the missile the other way. It was a threat.

[vox_freedom]

Give the Pentagon a break. They are stretched very thin trying to implement the repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell."

ROFL X 10

[donna]

Mexican gang - Zetas?

[pyx]

The Pentagon is treating a missile launch off the West coast of the United States as, 'No big deal !'.

Well, it IS a big deal !

What type of platform was it launched from and where did it land ?

Was the launch politically motivated by the Obama administration ?

[miele man]

I doubt these folks have the capability to launch from underwater.

[certrtwngnut]

With this guy in the W.H. we should all be pissing ourselves.

[My Favorite Headache]

No. Just ruled out from a foreign military. No comment...not ONE SINGLE WORD from Obama or the White House.

[jimbo123]

Interesting comment from See-BS

NOTAM for LA.
KZLA LOS ANGELES A2832/10 - THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTIONS ARE REQUIRED DUE TO NAVAL AIR WARFARE CENTER WEAPONS DIVISION ACTIVATION OF W537. IN THE INTEREST OF SAFETY, ALL NON-PARTICIPATING PILOTS ARE ADVISED TO AVOID W537. IFR TRAFFIC UNDER ATC JURISDICTION SHOULD ANTICIPATE CLEARANCE AROUND W537 AND CAE 1176. CAE 1155 WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR OCEANIC TRANSITION. CAE 1316 & CAE 1318 WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR OCEANIC TRANSITION. CAE 1177 WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR OCEANIC TRANSITION. W537 ACTIVE, CAE 1176 CLOSED. SURFACE - FL390, 09 NOV 20:00 2010 UNTIL 10 NOV 01:00 2010. CREATED: 08 NOV 20:52 201”

Thanks s7!
Reply to this comment
by buzzfuzzel November 9, 2010 1:13 PM EST
?A mysterious missile launch off the southern California coast was caught by CBS affiliate KCBS’s cameras Monday night,?

If you knew how to read a NOTAM you may not have posted. This missile went up Monday the 8th NLT 7pm local or about 4am Zulu. The NOTAM is warning the airspace for 09 November at a time clearly after the missile was fired. It is perhaps a restriction intended to keep the public out and of the area while an investigation is underway.

Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/8601-201_162-7036716-6.html?assetTypeId=30&blogId=&tag=contentBody;commentWrapper#ixzz14pCoMQrj