War is the Biggest Boondoggle
January 19, 2019
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The Boeing Company (BA)
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Trump is a born demagogue. After delivering a belligerent speech (below) Thursday, war stocks responded accordingly (above). Frankly, Trump sounded drugged. His heart wasn't in it. He knew he was betraying his campaign promise to follow a rational foreign policy.
The best guarantee of peace is an effective nuclear deterrent and good relations with other countries. But there is no money in that. When will governments fund projects that actually benefit their citizens? Like a border wall? Isn't that defence? Notice the Demon-rats are not objecting to missiles. The US "Defence" Budget is $750 billion, more than the next 14 countries combined. Clearly, "Defence" like "health care," is a lucrative racket.
He said foreign adversaries, competitors, and rogue regimes are steadily enhancing their missile arsenals, increasing their lethal strike capabilities and focusing on developing long-range missiles that can reach targets within the U.S.
"As President, my first duty is the defence of our country. First duty: the defence of our country," he said. "I will accept nothing less for our nation than the most effective, cutting-edge missile defence systems. We have the best anywhere in the world. It's not even close."
He said the new plan calls for six major changes in missile defence policy.
First, it calls for 20 new ground-based interceptors at Fort Greely, Alaska, and new radars and sensors to immediately detect foreign missiles launched at the U.S.
Second, the U.S. will focus on developing new technology versus investing more money into existing systems, he said.
"The United States cannot simply build more of the same, or make only incremental improvements," he said.
"It is not enough to merely keep pace with our adversaries; we must outpace them at every single turn. We must pursue the advanced technology and research to guarantee that the United States is always several steps ahead of those who would do us harm."
Third, the U.S. will "adjust its posture" to defend against "any" missile strikes, including cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles.
"In the past, the United States lacked a comprehensive strategy for missile defence that extended beyond ballistic missiles," he said. "Under our plan, that will change."
Fourth, the U.S. will recognize space as a new warfighting domain, with a "Space Force" leading the way, he said.
He said the upcoming 2020 budget will invest in a space-based missile defence layer.
"Regardless of the missile type or the geographic origins of the attack, we will ensure that enemy missiles find no sanctuary on Earth or in the skies above," he said.
Fifth, the U.S. will remove bureaucratic obstacles to "dramatically speed up the acquisition and deployment of the new technology," he said.
Lastly, he said, the U.S. will insist on "fair burden sharing" with allies.
"So -- wealthy, wealthy countries that we're protecting are all under notice and all cooperating very nicely," he said.
"We're going to be with NATO 100 per cent. But as I told the countries, 'You have to step up.' You have to pay minimum numbers, actually," he said. "So we have very good relationships, but countries are now stepping up, and they can well afford to."
He said the new plan directs the Pentagon to prioritize the sale of American missile defence and technology to allies and partners.
"We want them to be able to defend. And they're willing to pay for the finest missiles in the world. They've already done that. They're stepping up as nobody has ever seen before, actually," he said.
He said the U.S. would also leverage our network of partnerships to share early warning and tracking information and detect missile launches as early as possible. He said:
Today marks the beginning of a new era in our missile defense program. For too long, we have been held back by self-imposed limits while foreign competitors grow and they advance more than we have over the years. Part of the reason is we spend so much money on so many other places. Now that's changing. We're helping and we're able to spend money on technology and new defence, and far beyond defence systems. So those days are history.
"When it comes to defending America, we will not take any chances. We will only take action," he said.
"Today, we reaffirm that a strong America remains the best way to prevent conflict, promote peace, preserve freedom, and protect our great people. Together, we unite behind a noble mission: to shield our country with the greatest missile defence systems anywhere on the face of the Earth."
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Related- Russia warns the US on missile plan
---------- US dominates global arms trade
Tony B said (January 19, 2019):
Well, well, it appears that in spite of the almost total media blackout to the general public, Putin, in his revelations last March, actually did get the U.S. government (the military anyway) to pay attention to Russia's modern military capabilities.
But Trump is, as usual, all bluster as U.S. technology has no chance of catching up in his tenure even if he is installed for another four years. Moreover, Russia, China and probably Iran already have the capability to destroy any satellite of any kind. They don't even have to blow them up, they can easily just shut down their capabilities such as they did (twice) to the USS Donald Cook and reportedly also to one of our super aircraft carriers, all of which are today nothing but giant targets with no real defenses against a plethora of modern weapons those nations possess in ever growing numbers.
The Rothschild neocons can forget about using the U.S. and other "western" military to control the world. Ain't gonna happen that way. Their "best" accomplishment will be the total nuclear destruction of at least the west. A win only for their real boss, the devil.