OPINION:
Thank you, Bill Gertz, for highlighting the belated recognition by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that as a nation we have neglected our offensive deterrent capabilities and have made no effort to fulfill the promise of President Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative (“Pompeo backs new missile defense push,” Web, Jan. 19). No patriot could disagree with the well-expressed concepts outlined by Pompeo, but why did he wait until he was out of office to express these major deficiencies in our national security?
In 1983, as the proliferation of nuclear capabilities spread to more countries, then President Reagan proposed the addition of effective missile defense to enhance our deterrent posture. This was an admirable concept and provided those tasked with implementing the research and development with the resources to enhance our deterrence posture.
Despite the expenditure of over $200 billion in the 38 years since Reagan’s announcement, the U.S. has never developed a fully integrated system, incorporating a layered defense.
This is what was needed to meet the original concept of intercepting missiles of all ranges from wherever they were launched. Although it was widely recognized within a few short years of starting the development that Reagan’s objectives could not be met without the incorporation of space-based interceptors, work in that area has not proceeded.
In calling now for an SDI 2 Pompeo is in effect acknowledging that Reagan’s initiative was never properly pursued. Any contemporary effort is an attempt at playing catch-up with Russia and China.
We have to hope the plea for such effort from a previous secretary of state will have more effect than the repeated attempts from less-prominent individuals who have described these deficiencies for the past 20 years or more.
STANLEY ORMAN
Rockville, Md.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.