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| Science & Technology |
| Non-Nuclear Warhead Urged for Trident Missile |
| 2008-08-16 |
| A National Research Council blue-ribbon panel of defense experts is recommending development and testing of a conventional warhead for submarine-launched intercontinental Trident missiles to give the president an alternative to using nuclear weapons for a prompt strike anywhere in the world. In critical situations, such an immediate global strike weapon "would eliminate the dilemma of having to choose between responding to a sudden threat either by using nuclear weapons or by not responding at all," the panel said in a final report requested by Congress in early 2007 and released yesterday. One major congressional concern was that to other countries, such as Russia or China, the launch of a conventional Trident missile could not be distinguished from a nuclear one and could be mistaken for the start of a nuclear war. The panel recognized that problem and suggested several ways to mitigate it, but in the end it concluded that the benefits outweighed the risks. The panel said that before any deployment takes place, there should be diplomatic discussions, particularly with partner countries. The panel also said that few countries, other than Russia and perhaps China, would be able to detect a sub-launched missile "in the next five years," and that because of the few warheads that would be involved, "the risk of the observing nation's launching a nuclear retaliatory attack is very low." The panel also adopted the Defense Department's idea that the goal of having one-hour capability for execution of a strike anywhere in the world is "sensible." It noted that in the 1990s, several attempts to kill Osama bin Laden or other al-Qaeda leaders failed because weapons systems available then, such as sub-launched cruise missiles, were not fast enough. The panel was chaired by Albert Carnesale, former chancellor of the University of California at Los Angeles and former provost at Harvard who served as a negotiator on the SALT I arms-control treaty. The panel also included John S. Foster Jr., a former director of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Defense Department director of research and development and chairman of the Committee on the Present Danger; Richard L. Garwin, IBM fellow emeritus at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center who from 1993 to 2001 chaired the Arms Control and Nonproliferation Advisory Board of the State Department; and retired Air Force Gen. Eugene E. Habiger, former head of Strategic Command. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #6 CondorMan, you still gotta expend the energy to get those projectiles in position, energy best used to launch a larger warhead in a conventional parobola. Orbital mechanics (greasy f@@kers each and everyone) is best used for surprise. Up quick, down quicker. Franktional Orbit Bombardment System, but that's only useful with a nuke warhead. (not that there's anything wrong with that). |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-08-16 17:53 |
| #5 Nope. The Missile industrial complex has had a hard-on for this type of warhead for years. There is nothing that this thing could do, that an F-18 or B-2 couldn't. Yet, it would put everyone's finger on the nuclear launch button if it were ever used. Nice concept, not worth it. |
| Posted by: rammer 2008-08-16 12:02 |
| #4 The false alarm factor shouldn't be understated. Rods from God would be a nice Sword of Damocles to hold over rogues too. |
| Posted by: bigjim-ky 2008-08-16 11:22 |
| #3 ...requested by Congress... Should ring alarm bells right there... |
| Posted by: PBMcL 2008-08-16 02:10 |
| #2 Rods from God would provide a much quicker and more powerful conventional response. Trident has two things your 'miracle weapon' doesn't: It's here and now. Get back to me when it's in production, 'kay? |
| Posted by: Pappy 2008-08-16 00:48 |
| #1 Rods from God would provide a much quicker and more powerful conventional response. Wiki on Kinetic Bombardment Moreover, space supremacy can probably be converted to air and sea supremacy. As an example for discussion, consider the system this author has described under the name "THOR". Thor consists of orbiting steel rods perhaps 20 feet long by one foot in diameter. They contain minimal terminal guidance capability, and a means of locating themselves and their targets through GPS. They can strike fixed targets with CEP approaching 25 feet. Few elements of air and naval power are invulnerable to bombardment by kinetic energy weapons from space. No ship can withstand the impact of 20 feet of steel rod at velocities greater than 12,000 feet per second. Airfields wonÂ’t fare much better. |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-08-16 00:38 |