re: #744 Kosh’s Shadow

Yes a stinger missile can probably bring down a cruise missile- problem is, you have to be ready for any attack AND the missile can’t fail AND it helps to have the right angle of attack on it- it is my understanding that stingers prefer a side on or rear quarter angle for best results. They have limited range so you have to have a wall of them, you start by saying yes we can intercept but somewhere between the response time and any gaps in the wall and some might get through. We have some ballistic defense and that is good, but the best defense will always be preventing or deterring launch, if you are dealing with an enemy that cannot be deterred, that ipso facto means military intervention of some kind.

With the North Koreas, Irans and Venezuelas of this world (wanna bet comrade Hugo is thinking nuclear?) you have erratic untrustworthy leadership with proven track records of unstable behavior (Chavez a little less so). The Russians were almost always measurable and predictable in their Soviet days, even then, there were moments. We have no hotlines to Pyongyang or Tehran, quite the opposite, you have reclusive regimes who cannot be trusted or predicted. Only China keeps the North Koreans in check, there are no checks on Iran. Did mention about 10 of the 911 hijackers came through Iran to attack the US, Iran offered the Brits to stop killing their soldiers for a free pass on their nuke program and Iran sponsors Hezbollah and shelters al Qaeda AND killed about 1000 Americans over the last 30 years? There is only one way to deal with such folks.