Latest news with #MissileDefenseProject
Edmonton Journal
3 days ago
- Politics
- Edmonton Journal
Trump's Golden Dome missile-defence push on Canada leaves Ottawa with few good options
Article content This would improve U.S. missile defence beyond just dealing with potential ballistic missiles coming from rogue nations such as North Korea or Iran, said Patrycja Bazylczyk, a research associate with the Missile Defense Project at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies CSIS. Article content 'Now we're thinking about our great power competitors, such as Russia and China, and they don't have just ballistic (missiles),' she says. 'They have hypersonic weapons, cruise missiles, etc., a whole host of different weapons that have unique trajectories and characteristics that create challenges for sensing and interception.' Article content A potential arms race Article content While much of the technology for the sea- and land-based systems is sound, some of the space-based components remain theoretical. Article content Space-based interceptors or lasers have improved through proliferation and become more resilient, said Michael O'Hanlon, director of foreign policy research at the Brookings Institution think tank. But 'the space-based weapons have not gotten much better … and are nowhere near a really practical deployment.' Article content Article content 'It's very difficult to shoot down intercontinental ballistic missiles,' said Benjamin Giltner, a researcher at the think tank CATO Institute's Defense and Foreign Policy Department. He explains that the warheads are travelling at speeds north of 1,900 mph during the terminal phase, when they've detached from the missile and reentered the atmosphere. Article content On top of that, the system would have to deal with multiple warheads at once, decoys, and efforts by the enemy to jam its frequencies. It's essentially trying to use a bullet to hit a bullet — amid a maelstrom of chaos. Article content Managing a battlefield with data inputs in a rapidly changing environment, potentially with thousands of objects in the sky, also requires a lot of computing power. 'That would be a piece where artificial intelligence is now making certain things more possible than before,' O'Hanlon said. Article content Article content Bids are being prepared now by several defence contractors, and costs could go sky high. The Trump administration has estimated a cost of US$175 billion, but the Congressional Budget Office says it could cost between US$161 billion and as much as US$542 billion over the next two decades for the whole system. Article content Article content Much of that will depend on the depth of system and the space-based weaponry. Giltner said he's seen 'estimates of (needing) up to tens of thousands of missile defence systems to have a chance at defending most U.S. territory.' Article content It will also depend upon retaining the support of subsequent White House administrations from either party. Article content Beyond cost and efficacy, building a shield over North America is likely to upset the enemy. Article content The secured second-strike capability of nuclear nations — meaning a country can hit back hard even after it's been hit by a nuclear attack — 'has so far proven to be the most stable and best form of nuclear deterrent we have,' said Giltner. A missile defence system like Golden Dome would upend that, creating a more 'vulnerable strategic environment' and 'invite an arms race,' he sees that another way. 'If we look at Chinese and Russian investment in hypersonic and cruise missiles, I think that not having defences to adequately intercept those next-generation threats is kind of concerning for deterrence.' Article content 'If they don't believe that we are able to counter those threats, then they'll be more emboldened to embark on escalatory actions.' Article content Robert Peters, senior research fellow for strategic deterrence at the Heritage Foundation's Allison Center for National Security, agrees. He says he's 'increasingly concerned' that U.S. adversaries 'could pursue a low escalation pathway attack or limited coercive attack … because they keep building systems that could execute such an attack.' Article content He means that China and Russia keep discussing development of systems for limited escalation scenarios in which they might launch an attack with just one or a couple of advanced or nuclear missiles, to hit the U.S. without triggering an all-out nuclear war. Article content So, for Giltner and many other critics, Golden Dome is likely to start a new arms race. Others, like Peters, say that a race is already underway, and that Golden Dome, 'at a minimum, gives us a fighting chance to give the adversaries pause before they decide to go down a limited coercive pathway attack.' Article content Article content Article content Washington and Ottawa have been involved in volatile trade talks in recent weeks, with Trump stating on Friday that there is no deal likely with Canada and that more tariffs are likely coming on Aug. 1. So how is Carney likely to respond to the Golden Dome invite? Article content Article content Giltner doesn't see how participating in Golden Dome would strategically benefit Canada, because, in addition to the high cost, it would mean being party to a 'more fraught strategic environment.' Article content But Peters said it is in Canada's national interest because inbound threats would likely fly over Canadian territory and may not only be directed at the U.S. He believes most Canadians would feel better knowing a defence system could thwart any such attack. Article content O'Hanlon, however, sees the need for a balancing act. 'It would make sense to be involved in this enough that we can do joint planning and that Canada would get some enhanced consideration as we think about options for protection,' he said. At the same time, the high cost, given Canada's military budget, means Ottawa 'wouldn't want to get so caught up in this that (they) missed out on the opportunities to improve (their) ground forces.' Article content
CNBC
20-06-2025
- Business
- CNBC
Investing in Space: Iron Dome's performance could be Golden Dome's opportunity
Israel and Iran resumed fire exchanges at the end of last week, and space and defense enthusiasts have been following the fusillades. Front and center has been the use of drones in this new leg of the conflict and the health of Israel's infamous Iron Dome missile defense system, as it fought off a barrage of drones and missiles. There's an inevitable connection: the Iron Dome's currently doing the job in Israel that U.S. President Donald Trump wants to get done at home through the proposed Golden Dome multi-layered missile defense system — a costly $175 billion concept so cutting edge that lawmakers and analysts have often questioned its viability. On one hand, you have the Congressional Budget Office warning that the project could cost as much as $542 billion. On the other, space and defense companies are chomping at the bit to fast-track Trump's ambitions from executively ordered vision to satellite-touting reality before the 2029 end of his term. "The performance of Israel's multi-tiered missile defense system underscores the urgent need to strengthen U.S. missile defenses. Thus far, Israeli missile defense inventories have kept up with the Iranian threat — buying decisionmakers valuable time to not just defend the goal but to score some," Patrycja Bazylczyk, research associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies' Missile Defense Project, told CNBC by email. "U.S. policymakers should view this as a nod towards the importance of building inventories well before the fight, in the event of a missile attack from either Russia or China, we will be facing far more complex, and numerous salvos," she added. Like a Hollywood revenant, Golden Dome rose from the ashes of Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative — nicknamed "Star Wars" — that died a long death to a string of arguments over tech obstacles, steep price tags and the potential to kick off a new arms race with the Soviet Union. Unsurprisingly, Russia and China have been the starkest foreign detractors of Golden Dome, which sets out to defend the vast spread of the U.S. homeland from ballistic, hypersonic and cruise missiles through a web of satellites, sensors and interceptors. The timing isn't ideal — both superpowers doth protest too much at a point when the major arms control deal between Washington and Moscow, the New START treaty, is set to lapse next year without a successor, while U.S. talks on a similar topic with Beijing were suspended in 2024. Within the industry, Golden Dome looks like a mighty fine bone thrown to private space companies faced with severe budget cuts at key U.S. space contractor NASA. For the past few months, defense and space businesses have been vying for a slice of the project's pie, especially after Elon Musk's recent public feud with Trump left SpaceX's potential role in the scheme under question. Take a look at the Paris Air Show — a sprawling affair enveloping Le Bourget Airport in the northeast of the French capital every two years. Around 45% of this year's show is offering a stage to defense and security this year, and the likes of U.S. defense and aerospace manufacturer LockHeed Martin and Boeing used the platform to tout their Golden Dome credentials. "We clearly have a whole number of product lines that will contribute very well, that are going to fit very well with what is necessary to achieve the mission," Lockheed Martin President of Missiles and Fire Control Tim Cahill said, according to Reuters. Golden Dome's progressing, but time will tell if it's here to stay. On June 10, two Republican members of the House of Representatives, Rep. Dale W. Strong (AL-05) and Rep. Jeff Crank (CO-05) announced the formation of a Golden Dome Caucus that will work closely with the Senate's own initiative, in a bid to back Trump's plans. Meanwhile, the House Appropriations Committee unveiled the draft of its fiscal 2026 defense spending bill that features a cool $831.5 billion top spend line — and a $13 billion allocation for "missile defense and space programs to augment and integrate in support of the Golden Dome effort." That's a respective $8.8 billion and $4.1 billion for missile defense and space programs backing the project, in the fine print. Don't worry, there's a deal to be had: Trump's reassured Canada it can skip a newly upped $71 billion fee to enjoy Golden Dome's benefits — if it just becomes part of the United States. Even better, Washington could end up a trendsetter across the Atlantic. "I don't know about the Golden Dome in the U.S. and so forth, but I do believe that we have to create an integrated … missile defense system, also in the European perspective, and there are initiatives going in that direction," Micael Johansson, CEO of Swedish aerospace and defense company Saab, told CNBC's Charlotte Reed at the Paris Air Show. "We have to have a European setup around that, and we have that capability with all the companies in Europe."
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Israel has pushed the US to use its ‘bunker buster' bomb on Iran. Here's what the weapon can do
As President Donald Trump is warming to the idea of using US military assets to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, officials and experts have suggested the US' 30,000-pound 'bunker buster' bomb is the only weapon capable of destroying the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant, a facility thought to be key to Tehran's nuclear program, which is carved into a mountain and extends deep underground. The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP), which has yet to be used operationally, is designed for 'reaching and destroying our adversaries' weapons of mass destruction located in well-protected facilities,' according to a fact sheet from the US Air Force. The weapon is a 30,000-pound bomb with 6,000 pounds of 'high explosives,' said Masao Dahlgren, a fellow with the Center for Strategic and International Studies Missile Defense Project. It has 'really thick, hard shell,' Dahlgren explained, in order for the explosives to withstand the impact of the ground and penetrate to the depths it's intended to reach. 'There's the shell and there's the explosive in the fuse – the explosive needs to be robust enough to not detonate without being fused, the shell needs to be strong enough to go down that far and to hit that hard and to impart enough energy to even go down that far. And then the fuse needs to be hard enough to survive all that, and smart enough to know when to blow up,' Dahlgren said. 'It's a really complex program.' The exact size of the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant is unclear; CNN has reported that that its halls are estimated to be 80 to 90 meters underground. A UK-based think tank, the Royal United Services Institute, said the MOP may not even be able to reach Fordow, saying in a recent report that it would 'likely require multiple impacts at the same aiming point to have a good chance of penetrating the facility.' Fordow could be at the 'the edge' of the MOP's capabilities with only one munition, said Dahlgren. Testing for the bomb began in 2004 amid the heightened concern about weapons of mass destruction, Dahlgren said. One of the factors that led to its development, he added, were studies that showed bombing a facility's entrance 'wouldn't generate enough blast pressure to destroy the entire facility.' 'Part of the need for these penetrators is really because it's hard to just bomb the entrances and get away with it,' Dahlgren said. 'You can temporarily slow the progress of a program but not fully destroy things that way.' In 2009, Boeing won the contract to integrate the weapons system with US aircraft. The Air Force's B-2 Spirit – a multi-role heavy bomber – is the only aircraft able to employ the bomb operationally. The B-2, made by Northrop Grumman, is the 'backbone of stealth technology,' according to the company. The aircraft flies out of Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and was first publicly displayed in November 1988. The US used B-2 bombers in 2024 to strike the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, targeting underground weapons storage facilities. The bomber – flown by a two-man pilot crew – can fly approximately 6,000 nautical miles without being refueled, according to the Air Force. Its 'stealth' capabilities allow it to 'penetrate an enemy's most sophisticated defenses and threaten its most valued, and heavily defended, targets,' the Air Force said. It's unclear how many of the munitions the US has in its inventory; in 2009, Boeing delivered 20 of them to the Air Force, which was current as of 2015. Dahlgren estimated there are roughly 30 munitions in the US arsenal.
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Business Standard
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Israel running low on air defence, missiles as tensions escalate with Iran
Concerns over the sustainability of Israel's defence system are rising as the country is reportedly running low on its defensive long-range missile interceptors, The Wall Street Journal reported. This comes amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, with both sides engaging in intense missile strikes and air raids for six consecutive days. The report, citing a US official, stated that concerns are now being raised over Israel's ability to defend itself from Iran's long-range ballistic missiles if the conflict does not end soon. The US has been aware of the capacity problems for months and has been strengthening Israel's defence systems on the ground, at sea, and in the air, the report states. The Pentagon has sent more missile defence assets to Israel since its latest escalation with Israel. However, concerns have now surfaced about the US' depleting stock of interceptors. Tom Karako, director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said, "Neither the US nor the Israelis can continue to sit and intercept missiles all day." "The Israelis and their friends need to move with all deliberate haste to do whatever needs to be done, because we cannot afford to sit and play catch,' he added. Israel-Iran conflict On June 13, Israel launched 'Operation Rising Lion' against Iran, targeting nuclear sites in its capital city Tehran. After Israel's military strikes killed several Iranian leaders, including Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' (IRGC) chief Hossein Salami, Iran retaliated and launched military strikes targeting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. On Tuesday (local time), US President Donald Trump asked Iran for "unconditional surrender" and claimed that the US knows where Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is hiding, adding that even though he is an "easy target, he won't be killed just now". Khamenei responded by issuing a warning to Israel. "The battle begins," Khamenei said, adding Ali returns to Khaybar — a reference to the 7th-century conquest of the Jewish town of Khaybar by the first imam of Shia Islam.
Hindustan Times
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Israel running low on missile interceptors as conflict with Iran continues: Report
Israel is running low on the defensive Arrow interceptors, according to a report in Wall Street Journal that cited an unnamed US official, raising concerns about Israel's ability to counter long-range ballistic missiles from Iran if the conflict continues. The report also claimed that US has been aware of the capacity of problems for months and Washington has been augmenting Israel's defenses with systems on the ground, at sea and in the air. The report also stated that since the escalation of conflict in June, Pentagon has sent missile defense assets in the region. However now there is a concern that US is also burning through their supply of interceptrs as well. Director of the Missile Defense Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that neither the US nor Israel can 'continue to sit and intercept missiles all day.' He also said that Israel and his allies need to move with haste to do whatever needs to be done, and that they 'cannot afford to sit and play catch. Meanwhile, Israel Aerospace Industries, the company that makes Arrow interceptors, did not respond requests about comments on the matter. The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that, ' IDF is prepared and ready to handle any scenario. Unfortunately, we are unable to comment on matters related to munitions.' The Arrow missile defence system, comprises of Arrow-2 and Arrow-3. This system is designed to intercept ballistic missiles beyond the earth's atmosphere. It employs a detachable warhead that collides with its target, neutralising potential threats before they can reach populated areas. The other layers of Israel's defense system include David's Sling, and the Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors. The US Army also has similar defense systems as Israel, it has the Patriot PAC-3 (comparable to David's Sling) and THAAD (comparable to Arrow 2), while the US Navy has the Aegis and the SM-3 (comparable to Arrow 3).
