Baker Spring on Obama’s Risky Defense
The Heritage Foundation’s Baker Spring has written an article about how President Barack Obama’s plans for missile defense are putting America at risk. Spring recounts several events that have proved threatening to the U.S. and the world. An excerpt:
“On February 2, 2009, Iran successfully launched a satellite into orbit using a rocket with technology similar to that used in long-range ballistic missiles. On May 20, 2009, Iran test-fired a 1,200-mile solid-fueled ballistic missile. North Korea attempted to launch a satellite on April 6, 2009, which, while failing to place the satellite in orbit, delivered its payload some 2,390 miles away in the Pacific Ocean. This was followed by a North Korean explosive nuclear weapons test on May 25, 2009.”
Spring notes that instead of maintaining or increasing our defense budget in response to these threats, the Obama administration seeks to cut missile defense spending and scale back production. The result is a 15 percent decline in defense spending. The president’s response to threats from rogue nations like Iran and North Korea has been shamefully weak. Apparently, the president doesn’t take his duty to protect the homeland seriously.
A majority of Americans believe in strong missile defense, but almost everything the president has done so far exposes a different agenda. Playing party politics at home is one thing, but displaying meekness to the world is another.
“Further, Congress and the American people need to be reminded that while the United States has made progress in positioning missile defense systems in the field in recent years, the U.S. remains highly vulnerable to this threat,” Spring writes. “This is no time for the U.S. to slow the pace of developing and deploying effective defenses against ballistic missiles. Indeed, the Obama Administration and Congress need to accelerate the effort by focusing on developing and deploying the systems that offer the greatest capability.”
Spring outlines a detailed proposal for how to build a strong and comprehensive missile defense system. Read the full article here.
Tags: Baker Spring, Barack Obama, North Korea