OPINION:
The recent letter contending the Early Intercept (EI) system concept is not flawed (” ’Early Intercept’ not flawed,” July 6) is interesting, but more for what is does not mention than the deliberations of the Defense Science Board.
America cannot meet its own longstanding requirements for the effectiveness of even the more limited missile defense conceived in the 1990s without incorporating space-based interceptors. These are the only presently feasible way of meeting the EI concept that will enable a ballistic missile defense (BMD) to be effective.
The longstanding requirement for an effective BMD is that it should be capable of protecting all 50 states, friends, allies around the world and troops serving in crisis areas. A further requirement implicit in the original but added later was the need to be able to intercept enemy missiles of all ranges in all phases of the flight. The combination of these broad requirements implied the need for an effective form of global missile defense incorporating EI. Only such a broad-based system could protect U.S. and multinational forces wherever they are engaged and at the same time, protect America and its many friends and allies.
EI cannot be achieved easily without space-based interceptors because of the difficulty of developing fast-acceleration interceptors and deploying them in sufficient numbers adjacent to hostile likely launch sites.
STANLEY ORMAN AND EUGENE FOX
Rockville, Md., and Plano, Texas
Please read our comment policy before commenting.