Hagel Pressed to Add East Coast Missile Defense Site
Source: Bloomberg
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel should include funds in the Pentagons next budget request to start work on a U.S. East Coast site for 20 anti-missile interceptors as a defense against Iran, House Republicans said.
The plea for not less than $250 million in the fiscal 2014 budget to be presented next month was made yesterday in a letter from 19 Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee, led by Representative Howard P. Buck McKeon of California, the committees chairman.
For the second consecutive year, the lawmakers are pushing for an East Coast array of interceptors to complement the 30 already deployed in a $34 billion system on the West Coast. They seized on Hagels announcement March 15 of plans to add 14 more in Alaska by fiscal 2017 to counter escalating threats from North Korea as it seeks to develop nuclear weapons.
There is no legitimate reason to not similarly defend the eastern third of the U.S. from Iranian missiles, they said in the letter.
Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-20/hagel-pressed-to-add-east-coast-missile-defense-site.html
adieu
(1,009 posts)There are no iranian missiles capable of crossing the atlantic ocean.
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)That's a lot of money to blow when we might be taking out Iran's capabilities in the near term--just sayin'. And they don't even HAVE a weapon yet, unlike NK. Either Mckeon is betting on no Iran strike, or knows we'll probably strike but just wants to give defense contractors a huge gift for nothing.
RC
(25,592 posts)idiots that think shit like this is a good idea. And have the power to commit them for long term therapy, if necessary.
Bonhomme Richard
(9,000 posts)PSPS
(13,599 posts)It works this way:
1. Republicans shovel taxpayer money to their crony "defense contractors."
2. CEO's of these firms get to buy more villas, islands, trophy wives, etc.
3. A portion of this taxpayer-funded windfall is dutifully laundered back to republicans as "campaign contributions."
What a country.
DallasNE
(7,403 posts)That was sold as a defense against missiles from Iran too. And how do we pay for this. Ryan doesn't include it in his budget that is to be voted on today. Boehner has said not one penny more in revenue so this new spending would take more away from other spending. How much redundancy do these people think we need and at the expense of everything else. This is just more playing of the fear card and reminds me of Reagan's rapid expansion of obsolete MX missiles that exploded the deficit -- Reagan didn't like to pay for anything either.
SCVDem
(5,103 posts)Based in Virginia and Florida sits the unused F-22.
What can a ground intercept missle do that an air launch can't?
Especially against a made up threat like Iran firing a missle at us.
Everyone knows you get one shot before we nuke your country into a parking lot.
Someone thinks we all are Fox viewers.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)I would think.
n2doc
(47,953 posts)I just know the repubs won't agree to anything. This should be a standard rejoinder "Well, we could do that with more funds, but are limited by the sequester. Unless you want to suggest another military spending project we can cut to pay for it-Sorry. "
IDemo
(16,926 posts)Better include some sites in Maine. I think Nova Scotia may be up to no good.
AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)A letter of marque came from the King,
to the scummiest vessel I'd ever seen,
God damn them all!
I was told we'd cruse the seas for American gold
We'd fire no guns-shed no tears!
Now I'm a broken man on a Halifax pier,
The last of Barrett's Privateers!
(Stan Rogers, Barrett's Privateers)
dixiegrrrrl
(60,010 posts)bemildred
(90,061 posts)xtraxritical
(3,576 posts)Purveyor
(29,876 posts)in turmoil.
John2
(2,730 posts)Iran on the East coast of the United States, give me break! Iran needs a missile shield against these nuts! They are the ones threating War all the time! Those rightwing nuts are even threatening War against us with their gun nut tirades. We need a shield against them!