To protect Hawaii from North
Korea
The US government is spending a fortune on a hi-tech experimental
missile shield and radar system and is going to deploy it in Hawaii
before it knows if it works.
Apparently the US has started to believe
North Korean propaganda which claims it will launch a Taepodong-2 missile
towards Hawaii. In response the Pentagon has decided to rush the
still-in-development Army Terminal High-Altitude Air Defense missile systems
and the SBX x-band radar into action.
Originally the system was designed
in the 1990s and was so useless at intercepting missiles that standing on a
tall tree with a fly swat was marginally more effective. However the
system was revamped and proved much more accurate at least when it was
targeting simulated targets. Apparently simulated targets are easier to hit
than real life ones, which makes you wonder if the programming on their
simulations was a bit off.
The SBX x-band radar also suffers from
technological and maintenance problems along with security concerns. It
cannot work if the water is a bit rough either. Joint Chiefs vice
chairman General James Cartwright is "90-plus percent sure" the missile
shield and radar would be able to intercept incoming targets from North
Korea.
Still North Korea would be extremely dumb trying a nuclear Pearl
Harbour against the US. It would give the hawks in the US the excuse to put
most of North Korea into the stratosphere and get rid of a ton of nuclear
weapons it did not need any more. (Not sure the South Koreans would appreciate that...sub.ed.)