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US Missile Intercept Ends Era of Nuclear Stability
Yahoo Finance ^ | 11/30 | Andreas Kluth

Posted on 11/30/2020 9:50:38 AM PST by TangledUpInBlue

This month, an intercontinental ballistic missile was fired in the general direction of the Hawaiian islands. During its descent a few minutes later, still outside the earth’s atmosphere, it was struck by another missile that destroyed it.

With that detonation, the world’s tenuous nuclear balance suddenly threatened to come out of kilter. The danger of atom bombs being used again was already increasing. Now it’s grown once more.

The ICBM flying over the Pacific was an American dummy designed to test a new kind of interceptor technology. As it flew, satellites spotted it and alerted an Air Force base in Colorado, which in turn communicated with a Navy destroyer positioned northeast of Hawaii. This ship, the USS John Finn, fired its own missile which, in the jargon, hit and killed the incoming one.

(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: china; kag; mad; maga; missiledefense; nuclearweapons; russia; trump
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Wild stuff if it can be reliably deployed. I tend to think it's not really part of the Aegis system unless its a future modification.
1 posted on 11/30/2020 9:50:38 AM PST by TangledUpInBlue
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Where “stability” depended on the threat of mutual, nuclear destruction?


2 posted on 11/30/2020 9:55:15 AM PST by Gene Eric (Don't be a statist!)
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To: TangledUpInBlue

Totally part of AEGIS. AEGIS has undergone many capability upgrades in the several decades it’s been around, the ability to engage and destroy ballistic nuclear warheads is just one of many of those upgrades.


3 posted on 11/30/2020 9:59:46 AM PST by fatman6502002 ((The Team The Team The Team - Bo Schembechler circa 1969))
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To: TangledUpInBlue

I don’t see this as a bad thing. I get MAD - Mutually Assured Destruction, as a form of restraint. Sorry, I just don’t see the ability of America to intercept nuclear missiles pre-emptively as a bad thing. Not with Korea and Iran and others like them in the world.

If anybody thinks that capability is going to cause us to strike Russia or China first with nuclear missiles, and risk all the ones coming into the US that we can’t or don’t shoot down, they are sadly mistaken. Even all the nuclear fallout from that blowing around the earths surface to fall on us after the fact.

Sorry, I don’t think this capability brings us closer to unlimited thermonuclear war. Not seeing it.


4 posted on 11/30/2020 9:59:55 AM PST by Freedom_Is_Not_Free (Love your enemies. Turn the other cheek. )
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To: TangledUpInBlue

This has been described as ‘hitting a bullet with another bullet’..................


5 posted on 11/30/2020 9:59:56 AM PST by Red Badger (Democrats cheat. ... It's what they do. ... GUARANTEED! ... Even if it's not necessary!....)
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To: TangledUpInBlue

Deep State Media propaganda piece.


6 posted on 11/30/2020 10:00:36 AM PST by Menehune56 ("Let them hate so long as they fear" (Oderint Dum Metuant), Lucius Accius (170 BC - 86 BC))
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To: Gene Eric

So creating a better defensive capability for ourselves is cause to label it as “destabilizing”.

My God how these people hate The United States.


7 posted on 11/30/2020 10:00:47 AM PST by gdzla (Tyrannis Seditio, Obsequium Deo)
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To: Gene Eric

Where “stability” depended on the threat of mutual, nuclear destruction?


I think MAD is the reason the “big” countries fight their wars in backwater third world countries now. If nukes are “effectively” taken off the table, strength comes from other areas, like the number of troops you can effectively deploy, stuff like that.


8 posted on 11/30/2020 10:00:48 AM PST by cuban leaf (The political war playing out in every country now: Globalists vs Nationalists)
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To: TangledUpInBlue

Don’t worry, President Harris will kill the program and restore your precious “stability “ of mutually assured destruction.


9 posted on 11/30/2020 10:01:02 AM PST by Orosius
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To: gdzla

Well, technically they are right, but they are only looking at one facet of the capability. It’s like saying that the development of a new high power amplifier can cause ear damage.

Yes, but...


10 posted on 11/30/2020 10:02:07 AM PST by cuban leaf (The political war playing out in every country now: Globalists vs Nationalists)
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To: TangledUpInBlue

Until Biden passes the technology on to the Red Chinese.


11 posted on 11/30/2020 10:02:13 AM PST by Psalm 73 ("You'll never hear surf music again" - J. Hendrix)
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To: Red Badger

Agree. Highly unlikely! More probable the attack missile exploded sufficiently close to enable shrapnel/shock to impact and case the ICBM to fail.


12 posted on 11/30/2020 10:03:45 AM PST by SgtHooper (If you remember the 60's, YOU WEREN'T THERE!)
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To: Gene Eric

This is only one small piece of the nuclear stalemate. Yes, it does alter the current equation, but keep in mind that within years (if not already) the USSR, China, Israel, Iran, and others will likely have stealth hypersonic cruise missiles capable of carrying nukes.

Theoretically, a ship off any coast (or stealth aircraft) could launch an effective first nuclear strike.

The old detente of mutual destruction still exists for us thanks to our nuclear triad (especially the boomers), but IF a foe believed they could knock down 80% of the incoming and protect their capital cities by a first strike with little to no warning it would change thinking for a nation that would entertain “acceptable losses.”


13 posted on 11/30/2020 10:04:13 AM PST by volunbeer (Find the truth and accept it - anything else is delusional)
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To: TangledUpInBlue

“With that detonation, the world’s tenuous nuclear balance suddenly threatened to come out of kilter.”

Only a liberal can think the USA having an upper hand is a bad thing.


14 posted on 11/30/2020 10:04:21 AM PST by CodeToad (Arm Up! They Have!)
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To: TangledUpInBlue

“The danger of atom bombs being used again was already increasing. Now it’s grown once more.”

Only an idiot liberal can think our ability to stop the use of nuclear weapons increases their chance of use.


15 posted on 11/30/2020 10:04:52 AM PST by CodeToad (Arm Up! They Have!)
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To: Orosius

Don’t worry, President Harris will kill the program and restore your precious “stability “ of mutually assured destruction.
****************************************************************
Yes, but only after transferring the relevant technology and intellectual property to the ChiComs.

/sadly, probably not sarcasm


16 posted on 11/30/2020 10:05:31 AM PST by House Atreides
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To: TangledUpInBlue

China, North Korea and Iran have different attitudes than Russia about their populations and nuclear “stability”. But don’t worry, Plugs and Son will sell off the tech and level that playing field again.


17 posted on 11/30/2020 10:05:41 AM PST by mikey_hates_everything
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To: TangledUpInBlue

It is wild stuff and I am totally onboard with developing this and other similar technologies...

As far as upsetting the nuclear balance in the world, I think that is far from true...

In this case a single ICBM was shot down, what if there was 1000 ICBMs all coming our direction, what if the launch happened from a nuclear capable submarine 100 miles from the coast....

My point, shooting down a single ICBM is fantastic but could it really stop a massive 1st strike from an enemy


18 posted on 11/30/2020 10:05:53 AM PST by srmanuel (It)
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It’s NOT FAIR that we are climbing out of the MAD crab bucket!! China was supposed to do it first!


19 posted on 11/30/2020 10:07:09 AM PST by proust (Justice delayed is injustice.)
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To: TangledUpInBlue

STAR WARS HAS ARRIVED! BDT


20 posted on 11/30/2020 10:07:47 AM PST by Billyv ( Ephesians 6:11 for we battle not against flesh and blood...Pray for our leaders and nation )
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