US plans Israel missile shield

[PartTimePongo]

The US House of Representatives has adopted a measure aimed at weaving closer US and Israeli defences against ballistic missiles of the type that could be fired by Iran.

The measure, part of a $504 billion defence spending bill passed on Thursday, would redirect $205m in defence department funds toward projects already underway in Israel.

It would provide $25m more for Arrow missile co-production and integration, $45m for a US-Israeli short-range missile defence system dubbed "David's Sling" and $135m to buy a Theater High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, fire unit.

All three projects involve interceptors rockets designed to shoot down ballistic missiles in the terminal phase of their flight paths.

Republican proposal
The move was spearheaded by Duncan Hunter of California, the senior Republican senator on the House Armed Services Committee and a candidate for his party's 2008 presidential nomination.

It was a last-minute addition to the Democratic-controlled House's version of the fiscal 2008 defense authorization bill, which still awaits action in the Senate and reconciliation of any differences between the bills

Overall, the House included about $8.2bn for the Pentagon's Missile Defence Agency, a net reduction of $764m from the sum sought by George Bush, the US president.

The Missile Defence Advocacy Alliance, a lobbing group funded partly by companies involved in building missile shields, applauded the initiative to further integrate US and Israeli missile defences.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/304E2DC4-86D2-46ED-8F44-A21BD26F3AE9.htm

So , is this about.....

1. Defending Israel against a very real and credible threat from Persia?

2. Enabling Israel to have a "First Strike/Limited Retaliation capability? (scary)

3. Placating Israel so they shut up about Iran for 10 minutes while sensible discussions can take place?

4. Buying the Jewish vote in 2008?

5. Making sure the Chinese have parity of technology in the very near future

 

[Jack77]

All of the above :wink:

 

[ml2sjw]

Well don't forget Israel is about to get a "theater" MAD capability. They are buying several AIP equipped diesel submarines equipped with nuclear tipped cruise missiles. Sadly though in the middle east i doubt the "logic" of MAD during the cold war will apply.

Don't forget Israel is a very high tech based economy now, with more practical experience at war fighting than almost any country in the world. It may well be that the americans need technology designed by the Israel to get their kit to work...

 

[Lingyai]

Don't forget Israel is a very high tech based economy now, with more practical experience at war fighting than almost any country in the world. It may well be that the americans need technology designed by the Israel to get their kit to work...

Good point, there is some great technology coming out of there, not least a shedload of Microsofts' top thinkers and doers.
And if I had neighbours like theirs I would take all I could get.
Talk about an ASBO.....

 

[Oil_Slick]

Well don't forget Israel is about to get a "theater" MAD capability. They are buying several AIP equipped diesel submarines equipped with nuclear tipped cruise missiles. Sadly though in the middle east i doubt the "logic" of MAD during the cold war will apply.

Don't forget Israel is a very high tech based economy now, with more practical experience at war fighting than almost any country in the world. It may well be that the americans need technology designed by the Israel to get their kit to work...

Israels 'practical experience' is predominately in shooting stone throwing Palestinian kids. When the much ovverated IDF go up against trained troops they are usually found to be rather wanting since 1973…

They were run out of Lebanon on a rail in the 80's and again in the 90's… and last years performance against Hizbullah (trained and supplied by Iran), showed everyone that the IDF myth has been busted wide open, on a tactical and strategic level the Hizbullah fought the IDF to a standstill with a force of just 4,000 trained men.

At the unit level, Hizbullah were vastly better trained and tactically adept than the IDF's soldiers.