The U.S. Strategic Command announced yesterday it had achieved an operational capability for rapidly striking targets around the globe using nuclear or conventional weapons, after last month testing its capacity for nuclear war against a fictional country believed to represent North Korea (see GSN, Oct. 21).
In a press release yesterday, STRATCOM said a new Joint Functional Component Command for Space and Global Strike on Nov. 18 “met requirements necessary to declare an initial operational capability.”
The requirements were met, it said, “following a rigorous test of integrated planning and operational execution capabilities during Exercise Global Lightning.”
The annual Global Lightning exercise last month tested U.S. strategic warfare capabilities, including the so-called CONPLAN 8022 mission for a global strike, according to publicly available military documents.
CONPLAN 8022 is “a new strike plan that includes [a] pre-emptive nuclear strike against weapons of mass destruction facilities anywhere in the world,” said Hans Kristensen, a consultant for the Natural Resources Defense Council.
Global strike attacks could be launched from U.S. long-range bombers, nuclear submarines or land-based ballistic missiles, according to the STRATCOM Web site.
The new command was created Aug. 9 in an attempt to integrate broad elements of U.S. military power into global strike plans and operations.
That, according to an Arkin commentary in the Washington Post in May, could include anything from electronic jamming to penetrating computer networks, to commando operations, to the use of a nuclear earth penetrator. CONPLAN 8022, he wrote, is intended to address two scenarios using such capabilities: preventing a suspected imminent nuclear attack from a small state, and attacking an adversary’s suspected WMD infrastructure.
STRATCOM Commander Gen. James Cartwright said at an opening ceremony that the new command would help the country convey a “new kind of deterrence.”..
This clears up a bit of puzzlement I felt seeing the story below this morning…
Europe won’t pick fight with Rice on CIA tactics
Allegations that the United States has committed abuses in Europe while waging its “war on terror” will cloud this week’s visit by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, but her hosts have little appetite for forcing the issue with Washington.
European officials seem satisfied, for now, that the United States has promised a formal response to press reports the CIA ran secret jails in Eastern Europe and covertly flew terrorist suspects through airports and bases across the continent.They are loath to pick new quarrels with Washington and risk souring transatlantic ties which are only gradually recovering from a deep rift over the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
They may also be nervous about what further investigation could uncover. Some European Union governments face awkward and persistent suggestions that they may have known and approved of secret U.S. operations taking place on their soil….
I feel very safe now. “Provide for the common defence, protect the general welfare, and estalish liberty.”
Space nuking fools.
Our planet doomed.
The scary part is they seem to have no credible challenge to keep them in check.
So many times in the past 3-4 years I’ll stumble across a breaking revelation and think Ah-ha! This is the one that will stop them….
…they will, by their openly aggressive posture, persuade other nations to adopt similar “doctrines.” Thus, once again does the Bush Administration make us less safe than before 9/11.
Think about this “new kind of deterrence” in combination with Bushco’s recently developed concepts of pre-emptive war and executive war powers. I can visualize Bush meeting with a foreign leader and saying, “See this little red button here. If you don’t do what I say, I’ll just nuke your capital city. Would you like to watch that on the plasma screen over there.” <Shudder>
And it explains why no “world leader” except Kim Jong Il and Hugo Chavez is willing to oppose whatever the US wants to do.
Dammit, you are so right.
(Why do I get the feeling I might know you in real life, Ductape? If so, please reveal yourself in my inbox. I promise not to ever tell).
This would make one helluva great B-grade movie if it wasn’t a realistic tragedy.
One of the main software/technology systems that I find recurring in this research is a particular brand of simulation software. BushCo influence reps in the advance team could have the scenarios laid out for all possible pre-emptive strike capabilities.
In the countries where the infrastructure is privatized and owned by members of this global consortium, it would be more subtle than a hard strike. They can use the computer network controls to shut down systems by remote control. That was another patent ‘procured’ by these private equity groups. GPS-trucking/freight-maritime-wireless communication- network security-datamining-the list goes on.
I think most other countries are much more afraid of Bush wielding his economic club than of being bombed. And that club is more much worrisome to me — the world can easily see what happens with arms and armies but economic maneuvering is rarely visible and often not recognized. Just a small example but look at how the Bush administration has caused suffering and death for women in poor countries by using its economic clout to force other countries to abandon sensible aids prevention activities and abortions.
“Exercise Global Lightning” = HAARP ??