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| China-Japan-Koreas | |
| Shield's Up! | |
| 2004-03-23 | |
The U.S. Navy said it would deploy a guided missile destroyer in the Sea of Japan in September as part of a U.S. effort to deploy an anti-missile shield to protect against attacks from countries like North Korea by the end of 2004. Navy Secretary Gordon England said the destroyer -- equipped to track potential enemy missiles -- would remain in the Sea of Japan "on a virtually continuous basis" as "part of the president's directive to accelerate the fielding of a ballistic missile defense operational capability." Chris Taylor, spokesman for the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency (MDA), said a total of seven Navy destroyers -- including the one in the Sea of Japan -- would be equipped with long-range missile tracking and surveillance capability by the end of 2004. Fifteen would be equipped by early 2006. By the end of 2005, the Navy would have three Aegis cruisers equipped with the Standard Missile 3 system to shoot down short- or medium-range missiles launched against U.S. or allied targets, Taylor said at a conference sponsored by MDA and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
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| Posted by:Steve |
| #10 Amid my many fevered thoughts on 9/11 was "Tom Clancy predicted almost this very scenario in Executive Orders...! Loved the TV coverage of him flying around with Rummy right after the attacks. |
| Posted by: Jen 2004-3-23 5:42:00 PM |
| #9 Clancy's lost his fastball, but I'll always love him for his early works--even though Red Storm Rising almost caused me to flub Contracts I back in law school. |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-3-23 5:29:44 PM |
| #8 Gromky His documentary books about the components of the US Armed forces are fascinating, specially the one about the Marines since it is more about the people and the spirit than about equipment. |
| Posted by: JFM 2004-3-23 4:56:50 PM |
| #7 I've always thought "Without Remorse" was his best work. But the Navy's deploying Aeiges destroyers with the capability to engage at least theater missile threats still makes me wonder why they didn't start building ships along the lines of the Metcalf Class that was talked about 10 years or so ago |
| Posted by: Cheddarhead 2004-3-23 4:37:30 PM |
| #6 "Shield's" isn't a possessive! It doesn't get an apostrophe! Garrrrrr! Sorry, I just spent eight hours correcting the English of a non-native speaker at her request. But it's kind of nice to know that there might be some protection here, eventually. It's rather strange living in Tokyo...you get the whole "we could be incinerated in minutes if some madman pushes the button" vibe that the rest of the world just doesn't have these days. Oh, and everything Tom Clancy wrote after his fourth novel stinks. Pulp fiction, indeed. |
| Posted by: gromky 2004-3-23 1:32:45 PM |
| #5 Clear and Present Dangers was the worst book but an OK movie. Sum of all Fears was a GREAT book but I refuse to see the PC movie. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2004-3-23 11:44:47 AM |
| #4 Test the system out on the next NKor missile test. Singe Kimmie's hair, it will... |
| Posted by: Ptah 2004-3-23 11:43:30 AM |
| #3 Scott, I haven't even opened the last one he wrote. Cannot figure how he goes from Bear and Dragon to Ryan's son all grown up! I thought the one with the Columbian drug dealers was the worst. Have only read it twice. Patriot Games was the best, IMO. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2004-3-23 11:36:32 AM |
| #2 I'm reading the Bear and the Dragon right this minute. Probably his worst book, IMO. He's written himself into a corner with the Ryan series. |
| Posted by: Scott 2004-3-23 11:18:08 AM |
| #1 Yet another Tom Clancy moment, as he had the Gettysburg shoot down an ICBM. Of course, he also had an Apache do the same. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2004-3-23 9:29:16 AM |