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www.politico.com

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/44616333

President Donald Trump left out a key detail this week when he outlined his plans for a massive missile and air defense shield over the continent: He can’t build it without Canada.

Ottawa has historically funded about 40 percent of NORAD investments, according to VanHerck, and is putting $38 billion into the command to add new radars in the north over the next two decades. Without those investments — and additional sensors that can peer over the North Pole — officials believe the U.S. will have trouble putting together a credible North American air defense.

  • Buelldozer@lemmy.todayEnglish
    32·
    22 days ago

    I know for a fact that parts of it can be built now. Everyone is in these comments trying to pretend that its still 1983 (the year Reagan announced SDI) while ignoring the fact that PATRIOT, NIKE, and THAAD have existed for two decades. Never mind that DE M-SHORAD, DRAGONFIRE and some others are already in production in various countries.

    This ain’t 1983. Many things considered impossible 42 years ago are so routine in 2025 that we take them for granted.

    • dogslayeggs@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      2 days ago

      That is WILDLY narrow-focused when considering what is actually required to get this to work as a system of systems. Yes, parts of the system already exist. Getting them all working together with all of the kill-chains closed in an automated “dome” system is a completely different story. And that is ignoring that new satellites and ground systems are needed, which will all need to be defined, acquired, designed, built, tested, and deployed. Building a single GPS III satellite from an already existing design that has already been acquired, built, and tested 10 times would take longer than 3 years. Hell, just the requirements definition and acquisition will take 3 years for a program this big in scope.

    • Clairvoidance@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
      3·
      22 days ago

      “Parts of it can be built” is doing a lot of legwork, when they have to double the amount of interceptors for every missile thrown out, I’ll admit!