Cruise missiles a threat to homeland, expert says.As if there weren't enough things to worry about, add the possibility of terrorists or a rogue nation Noun 1. rogue nation - a state that does not respect other states in its international actions renegade state, rogue state body politic, country, nation, res publica, commonwealth, state, land - a politically organized body of people under a single launching a cruise missile from a commercial ship at a U.S. city to the list. Ben Stubenberg, chief of analysis and scenarios at the Missile Defense Agency, spends his days imagining such events. He admitted that his theory is an "exotic threat" and "controversial" in Washington. "Not everyone buys into this," he told a Defense News Media Group conference. But the possibility is being discussed more frequently in government defense circles, he said. In such a plot, a container ship hiding a cruise missile, or perhaps an unmanned aerial vehicle A powered, aerial vehicle that does not carry a human operator, uses aerodynamic forces to provide vehicle lift, can fly autonomously or be piloted remotely, can be expendable or recoverable, and can carry a lethal or nonlethal payload. , comes close enough to a major city or port and sends the projectile projectile something thrown forward. projectile syringe see blow dart. projectile vomiting forceful vomiting, usually without preceding retching, in which the vomitus is thrown well forward. into the heart of a downtown area. One example would be a ship heading to the port of Ensenada on the northern section of Mexico's Baha Peninsula. While ships heading for U.S. ports must transmit their intentions to Customs and Border Protection 96 hours in advance, including their manifests and crew lists, vessels sailing to Mexico are not required to do so. A ship staffed with a crew of terrorists or operatives from a rogue state, for example, could come within a few miles of U.S. territorial waters territorial waters: see waters, territorial. territorial waters Waters under the sovereign jurisdiction of a nation or state, including both marginal sea and inland waters. , and be within range of downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or or San Diego. Because of tightened security at U.S. ports, a "stand-off attack becomes more of an option," he said. The proliferation of missile and UAV UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicle UAV Unmanned Air Vehicle UAV Unmanned Aerospace Vehicle UAV Unmanned Airborne Vehicle UAV Uninhabited Air Vehicle UAV Urban Assault Vehicle UAV Unpiloted Aerial Vehicle (less common) technology makes it more feasible, as does their affordability. A missile can be constructed from off-the-shelf technology for as little as $5,000, he said. A New Zealand New Zealand (zē`lənd), island country (2005 est. pop. 4,035,000), 104,454 sq mi (270,534 sq km), in the S Pacific Ocean, over 1,000 mi (1,600 km) SE of Australia. The capital is Wellington; the largest city and leading port is Auckland. man, Bruce Simpson, has set up a web site claiming he can build one for that price in his garage. State actors would have the resources and knowledge to carry out such an attack. Iran has built UAVs, Stubenberg noted. Still, there are many skeptics to this scenario who believe that it is too elaborate a plot to pull off, Stubenberg added. |
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