As a businessman of the heart, US President Donald Trump believes a large amount of money is being spent on nuclear weapons. At the World Economic Forum, he suggested that negotiations between Russia and China should focus on denuclearization and reducing nuclear weapons.>
But the same president who wants to keep the US safe has also announced plans for the National Missile Defense System, a larger, more modern version of what is like Israel’s iron dome.>
So is he defending two conflicting ideas? But that’s Trump! It’s difficult to understand exactly what he’s thinking.>
On February 6, two U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Kevin Kramer were members of the Senate Armed Services Committee, introducing increased missile involvement and deterrence. (Iron Dome)aims to strengthen and expand the US missile defense system to protect the entire country.>
It is important to recognize the nuances of this new idea that Trump has presented.>
Today, the US administration is keen to ensure that it is not caught off guard by the threat of (nuclear) missiles to its homeland. The Iron Dome Act proposes various provisions and offers major financial expenditures. Having a missile shield is likely a very expensive proposal.>
The document identifies the need for provisions such as $12 billion to expand the missile interceptor field and have a new next-generation interceptor. The “Terminal High Altitude Area Defense” (THAAD) system costs $1.4 billion, and the Patriot batteries on the PAC-2 and PAC-3 ammunition and MM-104 are required.>
There are several other areas where important financial requirements are predicted, such as $900 million for research and development in space-based missile defense and $60 million for developing space-based satellite sensors.>
The president signed the signing on January 28th. Presidential Order Pentagram directs the development of a comprehensive missile defense system. This threat, along with other advanced aviation threats, is expected to be in the form of potential attacks from ballistics, high-sonics and cruise missiles.
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With Russia and China’s advances in the hypersensitive sector, US security facilities appear to be far more concerned.>
The directive requires the Pentagon to submit a comprehensive plan within 60 days and outlines the functions required for next-generation missile defense systems.
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It appears that the focus is on space technology for the development of this system. Specifically, this order requires the development and deployment of space-based interceptors for boost phase intercepts, as well as the accelerated deployment of the polar and ballistic tracking space sensor layers.>
For Trump, the idea of morality is by no means appealing. It is the financial factors that he is likely to focus on. File image provided by X/@White House.
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What can I refer to orders to Cold War era strategic defense initiatives? >
The order specifically mentions the plan that then President Ronald Reagan proposed in the 1980s to build an effective defense against nuclear attacks.>
On March 23, 1983, in a speech to the nation, Reagan announced the need for pioneering research into national defense systems that could make nuclear weapons obsolete. This speech presented the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). The concept was also called “Star Wars,” inspired by a popular film series of the same name.>
At its core, the SDI program aims to develop space-based missile defense systems that can protect the United States from large-scale nuclear attacks. SDI led to the development of a variety of technologies, but the precise ideas conceptualized by Ragan did not become reality.>
For a period of time, the US has developed systems such as Aegis ballistic missile defense systems, THAAD, ground interceptors, air defense systems, various aerial systems, and short-range anti-ballistic missile systems.>
So, are we seeing the same vision we did with Reagan in Trump? Reagan strongly believed that US defense research should focus on making nuclear weapons unnecessary because they viewed them as immoral. But for Trump, the idea of morality is by no means appealing. It is the financial factors that he is likely to focus on.>
During the Cold War, some believed that a successful missile defense system could stop the Soviet Union from launching its first strike. That raised the question.>
In today’s world, especially for the United States, it is naive to ignore the challenges posed by countries like North Korea and Iran, with no simple solutions available and no alternative to nuclear weapons. >
Therefore, we should not read anything about Regan’s SDI doctrine in the executive order signed by Trump.>
The US has concerns about Russia, China and possibly North Korea’s hypersensitive capabilities >
The mutually guaranteed destruction (MAD) strategy was made entirely clear in the early 1960s, mainly by then-Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The idea behind MAD is that the threat of nuclear retaliation will stop the enemy from using nuclear weapons. With this approach, nuclear-armed defenders will have a very strong second strike ability that leads to nuclear war ultimately complete annihilation on both sides.>
Reagan never supported the crazy doctrine. Even if there may be similar concepts now, Trump must have been aware of the limits of the Mad.>
During the ongoing Ukrainian conflict, Russia launched a Hi-sonic missile (KH-47 Kinzhal) on Ukrainian targets on March 19, 2022. This was the first time in history that hypersensitivity missiles were used in actual wars. Since then, several times these missiles have been used by Russia in Ukraine targets.>
However, there are cases where the Ukrainian forces fired down a Russian Kinzhar Haysonic missile that had successfully engaged with the Patriot Air Defence Missile System.>
So, if so, why is the US looking for a new missile defense system to deal with high-sonic threats?>
The KH-47 Kinzhal is a polar sound air-launched ballistic missile. The main types of hypersensitivity missiles include Hi-sonic Glide Vehicles (HGVs) and Hi-sonic Cruise missiles. Existing missile defense systems cannot deal with the threat of HGVs.>
Avangard (Yu-71 and Yu-74) is a Russian HGV that has been serving since 2019.>
Obviously, the US needs a next-generation missile defense system as of yesterday! Recently, North Korea claimed it had tested missiles that flew 12 times the speed of sound (deferred missiles are known to fly at speeds of more than five times the speed of sound).>
The US is expected to raise great concerns about China as well. In October 2019, China held a public exhibition of HGVs called DF-ZF (also known as DF-19 or WU-14).>
More importantly, the US recognizes that China established its fifth order in 2023. Commands close to spacethis is the world’s first such structure. This order will take full control of Chinese high-sonic weapons, including those found in the inventory of the other four branches of the military, taking military operations in altitude zones on the Earth’s surface in the range of 20-100 km. .>
This shows that China has high expectations from their high-sonic weapons in any conflict situation.>
Also Read | Trump’s Arctic Ambition: Why is Greenland important for US national security and space warfare>
A real challenge involving space-based interceptors targeting missiles in the boost phase>
A step forward in SDI architecture is an innovative concept proposed by scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1987; Gorgeous pebbles. The proposed system was to place thousands of small satellites in low Earth orbit at an altitude of approximately 650 km. If attacks from intercontinental ballistic missiles occurred, these pebbles hit them by destroying such missiles.>
Under current circumstances, the United States does not want to be projected as such ideas corresponds to the weaponization of space.>
Still, modern missile shields rely heavily on space technology, but in a different form. The major technical hurdles need to be overcome to develop tracking space sensors, especially due to the incoming hypersonic threats. >
The real challenge is to design and develop space-based interceptors that can ingest missiles during the boost phase.>
Are the ideas proposed by Trump quirky or realistic? The world now knows iron domes as a highly effective Israeli missile defense system, but they only protect small geography. If the US adopts a similar system, it will be much more complicated and different to the Israeli system.>
Current advances in AI and machine learning are promising, but applying AI to the proposed concept of iron dome requires more intensive research.>
For a long time, laser technology has shown great potential as part of air defense structures to neutralize incoming threats, but important technical challenges remain to make such systems work. Masu.>
On February 18th, the US Missile Defense Agency will hold Industry Day to explore how the industry can contribute to the project. Obviously, Trump relies heavily on his friend Elon Musk to develop this ambitious program.>
Trump, known for his weapons control mechanisms, also rarely considers the strategic implications or views of other major forces on such projects.>
It would be a very expensive effort, but Trump, who has a background in his business, may have already calculated the financial aspects of the project before announcing it. What remains is whether the project is technically viable.>
Ajay Lele Investigating the issue of space and author of the book The institution that shaped modern India: the island.>
