Transcript NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE PROGRAM (a.k.a. Star Wars)

NATIONAL MISSILE
DEFENSE PROGRAM
(a.k.a. Star Wars)
Marsha Davis
CS- 403 Authoring techniques in Computer Aided
Instruction
Dr. Netiva Caftori
Primary Objective

The objective of the National Missile Defense
program is to develop and maintain the option to
deploy a cost effective, operationally effective and
Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty compliant
system that will protect the United States against
limited ballistic missile threats, including
accidental or unauthorized launches or Third
World threats.
Background History of NMD

The National Missile Defense program came into
existence during the early 1960 when scientists and
technicians worked on such a system, however, the less
feasible it seemed. In 1972, President Richard Nixon
and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev agreed to the AntiBallistic Missile (ABM) Treaty which forbade both sides
from deploying a national missile-defense system, and
restricted the testing which might make such a system
possible.
Presidential Administration’s Agenda
for Missile Defense


Reagan’s Administration-Despite passage of the ABM treaty, the
Reagan administration took up the cause again the 1980’s.
Ultimately, the Reagan administration spent tens of billions of
dollars on the development of missile defense which the vast
majority of scientists knew couldn’t work . Reagan promised a
“nuclear shield” that would achieve an “ultimate security” for the
American people, such a system was never even conceivable.
Bush Administration-(Father) - proposed a limited system,
renamed “ Global Protection Against Accidental Launch System”.
This system was proposed to protect Americans against an
accidental launch. Bush also called for the development of
Theater Missile Defense programs against shorter-range missiles.
By the end of the Bush administration, over $100 billion had been
spent on anti-missile research, with virtually nothing to show for
it.
Presidential Administration’s Agenda
for Missile Defense

The Clinton Administration -- devised a “Three-Plus-Three program which
supported development of a national missile-defense system over three years.
This program support the use of twenty ground-based interceptors, which
could block missiles launched by accidental launches. However, Clinton plan
could not protect the United States from major ballistic-missile strike.
Estimates of the system’s cost ranged from $30 to $60 billion.

The Bush Administration(Son) -- has called for early deployment of a national
missile defense system. The systems under discussion include the mid-course,
land-based system proposed by the Clinton Administration, but also “boostphase” system, sea-based systems, expanded theater defenses, outer-space laser
systems, and nuclear systems. The cost of the proposed system has not been
determine yet
Design

The National Missile Defense system, when fully deployed, would include
 1. Space -and ground-based sensors to provide early warning of
attacking missiles and to initially identify and track them;

2. Ground-based radar to further identify and track the
threatening warheads and assess whether the system destroyed the
warheads;

3. Ground-based interceptors, each consisting of a three-stage
booster and payload (called a kill vehicle) capable of guiding itself
to collide with and destroy incoming warheads (a concept called hitto-kill) outside the earth’s atmosphere; and

4. A battle management, command, control, and communications
system.
The Basics of Ballistic Missile Defense





All ballistic missile share a common, fundamental element
The missiles follow a ballistic trajectory which includes three phases
Phase I ---Boost Phase
Phase II –Mid-Course Phase
Phase III – Terminal Phase




The Boost Phase --- is the phase in which the missile has been
just launched and is thrusting to gain the acceleration needed to
reach its target. This phase usually last 3 to 5 minutes and the
missile is traveling on the rim or outside the earth’s atmosphere.
The Post-Boost Phase -- During this phase the missile has released
the last of the reentry vehicle
The Mid-Course Phase --- During this phase the missile is free
falling towards it target. Also, during the phase the missiles is
arming itself with it weapons ( which are known as warheads)
Normally this phase can last about 20 minutes.
The Final Phase --- (a.k.a. the terminal phase) During this phase
the missile’s warheads renters the earth’s atmosphere at
incredible speeds, some at over 2,000 mpp.
Cost

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Regan
Bush-Father
Clinton
Bush - Son
Missile
Defense

Today the United States has spent roughly $122 billion dollars on various
missile defense programs
69 billion has been spent for research and development of such a potential
system, rather than production.
The actual building of the space-based systems proposed will cost well over
$200 billion dollars.
Health
Care

American Opinion Poll
The troubles the Missile Defense System will face

Low orbiting satellites will have to find and track with pinpoint accuracy
complex warheads traveling at 15,000 miles which are surrounded by
dozens of decoys

This information has to be relayed to the base command on the ground

Anti-ballistic missile will have to be launched with in a matter of seconds
to intercept incoming missiles.
Current Threats to the U.S.

In fact, the threat to the United States has actually shrunk. Currently Russia has about
5,200 missile warheads deployed on one thousand missiles, a decrease of 52 percent in
the number of missiles since 1980, and these decreases are likely to continue. China
has presently some twenty ICBMs, a force which is not likely to increase unless the
United States deploys an NMD system.

The threat in intermediate-range missiles (three to five thousand kilometers) has
virtually ended due to the 1987 treaty banning them.

Only six nations -- Israel, Saudi Arabia, India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Iran -- have
medium-range missiles (one to three thousand kilometers) and these do not threaten the
territory of the United States. Only four of these nations have active programs for trying
to stretch the range of these systems to over three thousand kilometers in the next ten
years (India, Pakistan, North Korea, and Iran.)

Of the thirty-three nations with ballistic missiles, twenty-seven have only short-range
missiles, that is, under a thousand kilometers.

China and Russia are still the only potential adversaries with the capability of hitting
the United States with nuclear-armed missiles.
One Students Perspective



I must admit that when I first started this project, I thought it was
the most boring subject that I had to present on. However, my
opinion has changed a complete 360 degrees. As an American, I
can surly state that if we the people of the United States don’t
start cleaning up our own house, we our headed for complete
destruction. Which will be our own fault. We waste too much
money on the wrong programs, while our children grow up
uneducated.
Our universities and college’s are filled to capacity with foreign
students, while American students can’t afford to attend college.
Since the Reagan Administration, a whole generation has grown
up physically but not mentally equipped to handle today’s
advance technology like the NMD programs.
References

Special Weapons Monitor: National Missile Defense
http://www.fas.org/spp/starwars/program/nmd
 International Policy Report: Shield of Dreams : Why
National missile Defense Won’t Work
http://www.ciponline.org/dfd/shield.html
 Indiana Peace Action Network Starwars
http://www.ipan.net/starwars
 The Cost of National Missile Defense: Tens of Billions
and Rising
http://www.clw.org/coalition/nmdbook00cost.html
 http://www.ipan.net/star wars/
 http://stream.realimpact.net/
 THERE IS A LOT MORE JUST DO A SEARCH ON
NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE