U.S. Militaristic Domination.

In early July of last year, the United States scheduled the third test of the proposed National Missile Defense system using facilities in Vandenberg, (California) and Kwajelien, (Marshall Islands).

National Missile Defense (NMD) is essentially the sequel to the Strategic Defense Initiative, also known as "Star Wars." The proposed missile shield, which would intercept any incoming missiles to the United States, is not only unnecessary and technologically faulty, but has the potential to create an arms race reminiscent of the Cold War. This proposal contradicts the agreement made by all five nuclear weapon states for the "total and unequivocal" elimination of their nuclear arsenals, as stated in the final document of the 2000 Non Proliferation Treaty Review conference and violates the spirit and letter of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

HISTORY

The history surrounding the NMD is one that began in 1983, when Ronald Reagan launched The Strategic Defense Initiative in order to create a "perfect shield" over the United States from Russian intercontinental ballistic missiles armed with nuclear warheads. Prohibitive costs and failure of the technology made the initiative unattainable, prompting President Reagan to give up the project after the fall of the Soviet Union. In 1996, an election year, President Clinton revitalized NMD efforts by proposing a six-year contract: three years to research and three years to build the NMD system. On July of 1999 President Clinton signed the National Missile Defense Act, which commits to deploying NMD "as soon as technologically possible." According to the propaganda, this decision was made in an effort to protect the United States from ballistic missile attacks by so-called "rogue states," although many wonder if huge military corporations had any part in the suggestion to re-launch Star Wars.

The first test to intercept a target warhead was made in October 1999 and was considered successful, however, it consisted of only one major component of the eventual system. The test was carried out under the most ideal conditions. The second intercept test took place in January 2000. Although the test was done under a similar context as the first, it ultimately failed. The third test was conducted in July, at Vandenberg, California. Once again, the test took place within the same context as the previous one, only to produce yet another failure.

AFTERMATH OF TESTS: NUCLEAR AND MISSILE

The effects of U.S. nuclear tests last much longer than the few minutes it takes to conduct them. The people of the Marshall Islands have castigated the United States for its deplorable role in polluting their homeland. According to the Pacific Concerns Research Centre (PCRC), "For fifty years, nuclear testing in the Pacific by the United States, France, and Britain has polluted our island and our ocean. Now these missile tests are desecrating our skies." The United States has already been asked to pay extra compensation for the Marshall Islanders, who were irradiated by almost 70 U.S. nuclear tests between 1946-1958. Unfortunately, one-third of these Islanders died before receiving their full payment of compensation.

The United States has played an irresponsible role in the aftermath of past nuclear testing, leaving Pacific Islanders to question any future accountability. According to Mrs. Salabula of the PCRC, "The testing of the NMD system at the U.S. Army Kwajalein Atoll base can only take place because the U.S. authorities are deaf to our call -- we want a Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific!"

SOME ARGUMENTS AGAINST NMD

Technology

The first argument against NMD is the technology itself. It is currently believed, as it was in the Reagan administration, that it's impossible to create the necessary technology within the next few decades. One must be cautious in using this argument, however, for fear that the "lumbering behemoths of the apocalypse" (also known as the billion dollar corporations) will retort that the necessary funding can prove otherwise. The March 7th New York Times quotes Nira Schwartz, an ex-engineer of NMD, as stating that NMD is "not a defense of the United States, its a conspiracy to allow them to milk the government. They are creating jobs for themselves for life." The lack of technology is seen as no setback to the corporations, who profit with billions of dollars, assuring the Pentagon that increasing funds can make this dream a reality. However, is the recreation of an arms race and current insecurity worth something that is only profiting Boeing, Raytheon, TRW and Lockheed Martin?

ACTUAL THREAT

In reality, no country has initiated the deployment of ballistic missiles capable of reaching the United States. North Korea, a feared "rogue state" is years away from developing a reliable Ballistic Missile system that could deliver any warhead to the United States, and has stated that any attempt to do so would be foolish. North Korea's current need for support from the international community, but more importantly its action and interest toward the reunification of Korea, seriously undermine the possibility of it launching any kind of attack. In the meantime, North Korea has even halted its missile flight testing, in an agreement with the U.S. to loosen trade sanctions. As for Iran, experts believe it is unlikely that it could begin testing long range missiles within the next 15 years. Iraq is even less of a threat, with most of its missile infrastructure destroyed since the Gulf War. Iraq is also under severe sanctions, which limit its capability to acquire missiles and subsequent technology from other na tions.

COSTS

One hundred twenty-two billion dollars have been spent on Theater and National Missile Defense since World War II. Furthermore, the Pentagon believes that it would cost the American people $26.6 billion dollars to maintain a single missile defense sight in Alaska, with $4 billion dollars in annual maintenance fees. Each ballistic missile test conducted by the United States has cost over $100 million dollars, resulting in failures for the most part. In total, the United States has wasted $5.6 trillion dollars in nuclear arsenals.

AGGRAVATING FRIENDS AND FOES ALIKE

NMD faces grave international opposition from almost every country.

It is viewed as an effort by the United States to enhance its offensive capabilities. According to the Chinese top arms control negotiators, U.S. efforts to deploy NMD will risk collapsing the whole architecture of China's arms control and nonproliferation agreements with the West. Russia has threatened to stop reducing its nuclear arsenals if the deployment of NMD becomes a reality.

CORPORATIONS

Corporations, specifically Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, and TRW have the most to gain, about $30 billion dollars a year in Pentagon contracts. Interestingly, $35 billion dollars a year in "black project" budgets is spent weaponizing space without the approval of the American people or Congress! The American public is robbed of necessary social programs and their livelihood (not to mention democratic privilege), as their money is wasted away on unnecessary and dangerous programs without their consent or knowledge. Currently, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and TRW are in the midst of creating several space laser weapons; these jobs, however, were not received without effort. The top four corporations have spent $40 million dollars in lobbying Congress and through campaign contributions. One must question whether NMD is anything more than a means of satisfying the military-industrial sector, which is willing to spend money in order to make it.

WHEN SECURITY BECOMES AN OFFENSIVE ISSUE

What is even more absurd is that NMD is not merely a means to defensive security. Instead, it is one of many steps in the creation of an offensive nuclear regime. According to General Ashy, Commander in Chief of U.S. Space Command, "We'll engage in two missions because they will become increasingly important. We will engage in terrestrial targets someday -- ships, airplanes, land targets -- from space. We will engage targets in space, from space." He continued to state, "We're going to fight from space and we're going to fight into space. That's why the U.S. has development programs in directed energy and hit-to-kill mechanisms."

The United States Space Command has been developing the concept of "Full Spectrum Dominance," claiming total domination of space both in terms of weaponization and resources. These plans are detailed in a pamphlet called "Vision for 2020," the date by which the United States hopes to have literally seized control of outer space. General Ashy justifies the serious concerns of many countries stating, "it will take our everything between now and 2020 to achieve complete dominance for the U.S. alone -- no other nations are invited to be involved." These statements of abhorrent greed are not those of a nation in defense, but rather another manifestation of the warrior of American egoism. It seems ironic that these statements are coming from not only the signatories, but the initiators of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which claimed the use of space for "peaceful purposes." Rather than a defensive initiative, the drive to Star Wars is in reality an offensive initiative.

These "new" offensive initiatives emerge out of a long history of U.S. espionage. For decades the United States has been spying on thousands of emails, faxes, and phone calls made all over the world. The United States has set up spy bases via satellite stations in Menwith Hill (UK), Pine Gap (Australia), and the Aleutian Islands (U.S.) -- each of which looks over one-third of the world.

Insofar as trust and security is concerned, it seems the United States is suffering from a severe case of paranoia, recreating many of the worries previously left behind in the post Cold War era.

KEY TERMS

Ballistic Missiles: a delivery vehicle that can carry various types of warheads (conventional or mass destruction) that follows a ballistic trajectory (gravity), unlike a cruise missile which is guided for the duration of its flight.

Kill Vehicle: the self guided component of the interceptor which attempts to collide with incoming warheads destroying them on impact.

Interceptor: the missile that attempts to destroy incoming warheads.

Target Warhead: the warhead the kill vehicle seeks to destroy.

Deployment: putting a weapon system into operational mode

Counter-measures: steps taken to confuse, overwhelm, or deceive the kill vehicle such as foil balloons and decoys

Submunition: smaller packets or bomblets of ammunition, many of which can be carried on a single missile, which can be used in biological or chemical warfare.

Boost Phase: the initial period of powered flight when the rockets thrusters are firing.