Page 2 - Space Tracking News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

In his first 100 days in office, President Barack Obama completedtwo whirlwind tours of Europe and Latin America. His message on both continents was simple: America has made many mistakes in thepast, but we're ready now to listen to others and be more flexible.It was a hugely popular message that brought him thunderousapplause, particularly when he criticized or apologized forAmerica-to an extent that no other sitting American President haddone before on foreign soil.

The U.S. homeland missile defense program has a history of changes, cancellations, and downsizing—evolving from a bold plan to defend against any nuclear missile to today’s modest program able to defend against a limited North Korean attack. Our current, deficient system has resulted not only from technological and programmatic difficulties but also from national missile defense policies that have vacillated from bold to feeble. Today, programmatic challenges continue to leave the future of homeland missile defense uncertain.

Experts predominantly assess that North Korea has developed several nuclear devices, but not yet mastered the ability to miniaturize a warhead or deliver it via missile. Media reports habitually declare that North Korean missiles cannot yet reach the United States. Based on this benign conclusion, policymakers presume the United States and its allies still have several years to diplomatically constrain North Korea’s nuclear program, timidly pursue incremental sanctions, and prepare military defenses. This has led to U.S. policy complacency toward the North Korean threat.

President Obama is cutting missile defense spending by over $1 billion. This makes no sense at the same time that North Korea is testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to deliver them andwhen Iran may be just one year away from producing its firstnuclear weapon. Washington's reluctance to pursue missile defensemakes little sense because Americans overwhelmingly support missiledefense. The problem is that too many of us still think we alreadyhave all we need. We don't.

The Obama Administration’s plan for ballistic missile defense and its proposed FY 2011 budget for the missile defense program would leave the program treading water. At the same time, the threat of ballistic missile attack on the U.S. and its allies will continue to increase as more state and non-state actors gain and improve the missile capabilities. Congress should begin to correct the Administration's mistakes by adding $1.358 billion to the FY 2011 missile defense budget, preventing the Administration's arms control initiatives from interfering with missile defense development ...