Fortress Hawaii: THAAD Deployed, SBX Put To Sea, GBIs Ready

  From Left: THAAD, SBX, GBI

What a difference a few months of up tempo ballistic missile and nuclear weapons tests by North Korea makes. When North Korea last threatened to launch its longest range ICBM toward Hawaii earlier this year, the reaction from the Obama Administration varied, from the embarassing gullibility of our Director of National Intelligence:

"I tend to believe that the North Koreans announced that they are going to do a space launch, and I believe that that's what they intend," [DNI Blair] told the Senate Armed Services Committee Tuesday.

To the clumsy diplomacy of Secretary of State Clinton as she prematurely discarded an important arrow in our quiver:

The United States has no plans to shoot down the North Korean rocket, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday in an interview with CNN’s Jill Dougherty...

To the spectacle of Secretary of Defense Gates simply giving up on utilizing our missile defense assets even as our missile defense commanders proclaim confidence in our ability to down a hostile North Korean ICBM:

Appearing on "FOX News Sunday," Gates said North Korea "probably will" fire the missile, prompting host Chris Wallace to ask: "And there's nothing we can do about it?"

"No," Gates answered, adding, "I would say we're not prepared to do anything about it."

And culminating in our most advanced missile defense radar, the Sea-Based X-Band (SBX) Radar, being ordered to stay anchored at Pearl Harbor:

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates denied permission for the U.S. Northern Command to use the Pentagon's most powerful sea-based radar to monitor North Korea's recent missile launch, precluding officials from collecting finely detailed launch data or testing the radar in a real-time crisis, current and former defense officials said.

Well, someone at Obama's Pentagon got the message, for Hawaii is being fortified with a new deployment of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors and the SBX is finally putting to sea:

Mr. Gates told reporters that the U.S. is positioning a sophisticated floating radar array in the ocean around Hawaii to track an incoming missile. The U.S. is also deploying missile-defense weapons to Hawaii that would theoretically be capable of shooting down a North Korean missile, should such an order be given, he said.

"We do have some concerns if they were to launch a missile to the west, in the direction of Hawaii," Mr. Gates said.

Gates went on to say that the long range Ground-Based Interceptors (GBIs) in Alaska --- slated to be cut by Obama, but-that's-not-important-right-now --- were also ready to engage:

Although Gates did not explicitly say that the U.S. would try to shoot down a test missile aimed in the direction of Hawaii, he noted that interceptor missiles in California and Alaska were ready.

"The ground-based interceptors are clearly in a position to take action," Gates said. "So without telegraphing what we will do, I would just say, I think we are in a good position, should it become necessary to protect American territory."

Perhaps the reality of missile defense is setting in on a few of the adults in Washington. Or more likely, perhaps someone's watching the polls:

A new Gallup Poll finds 51% of Americans saying North Korea currently poses a direct threat to U.S. security. That is the highest percentage seen for eight countries or territories tested in the poll whose political climates or ongoing conflicts present a threat to U.S. interests in the world.

Which, of course, makes this the perfect time to slash missile defense funding --- "Missile Budget Cut Still Stands":

An attempt Tuesday to restore money slashed from the missile defense budget failed to gain traction when an amendment that would have paid for additional interceptors in Alaska was defeated.

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Comments

[col.smeag]

And now a word from The President of the United States of America..."UMMm...errr...uhhh...derrr...swat! look I killed a fly..Huh What missle?"

[2Hotel9]

Wouldn't it be much easier to simple deliver those 1000lb JDAMs Kim Il purchased directly to the launch facility? He paid for them, and did not specify where and when to deliver them.

[xformed]

2Hotel9er....

I'll see you and up you to 2000 lbers....if you're gonna use a hard point...make a real point!

[Papa Whiskey]

"We do have some concerns if they were to launch a missile to the west, in the direction of Hawaii," Mr. Gates said.

Two questions:

Since when would North Korea launch a missile to the west to target Hawaii?

Is Mr. Gates the SecDef or the SecDumb?

[ewok40k]

Maybe he meant ICBM capable of orbital trajectory? :P

[firehand]

hed better stop them darn missiles!!

http://elmtreeforging.blogspot.com/

[sherlock]

Isn't Alaska also vulnerable, or are we counting on the Norks to tell us what direction they are going to shoot?