Pentagon blasts mock missile with Ground-Based Interceptor

William Atkins
Saturday, 06 December 2008 20:07

Science - Space

The Air Force article "Missile defense site named after President Reagan" stated the following.

General Obering, during the dedication ceremony for the Ronald W. Reagen Missile Defense Site, stated, “President Reagan simply would not accept U.S. vulnerability to nuclear or ballistic missile attack. And so he called upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace, to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete."

Alaska Senator Ted Stevens continued the remarks about President Reagan, “We are here today to celebrate the remarkable achievement of Ronald Reagan who will be remembered and revered for many things.  But if you (could) ask him, I think he would tell you his greatest achievement was to safeguard the freedom and safeguard the people of the United States."

General Obering continued, “Those of us who have spent time in the intercontinental ballistic missile business hold President Reagan in especially high regard. His leadership at the height of the Cold War was the turning point toward achieving victory in that titanic struggle for peace and freedom. President Reagan was the driving force behind the deployment of the Peacekeeper missile in the 1980s …The mission of the Peacekeeper and the vision of President Reagan (were) achieved without ever firing a shot in anger.”

He added, “Today, our nation has a limited, but real defensive capability against short, medium and long-range ballistic missiles. That reality is borne out by the long-term interceptors in the silos here and in Alaska, the Aegis ships with their sea-based interceptors, the powerful radars which we have brought online, and the professionally trained and certified crews manning the command and control consoles in Alaska, Hawaii, Colorado and Nebraska.”

The ceremony concluded with President Reagan’s own words: "Wouldn’t it be better to save lives than avenge them? Are we not capable of demonstrating our peaceful intentions by applying all of our abilities and our ingenuity to achieving a truly lasting stability? I think we are indeed. Indeed, we must.”

In summary: "A strong defense for a lasting peace."