Some of you know how my mind works. When I hear the word, “THAAD,” my brain immediately registers a Porky Pig voice saying, “THAAD’s All Folks.” THAAD is the acronym for Terminal High Altitude Area Defense. It is essentially a large bullet that is supposed to strike an in-bound missile and break it up. It is a kinetic weapon, i.e., it does not explode.
So Israel, who claims (mistakenly) to have the best air-defense system in the world, now wants the THAAD. If you got the best, why do you need something better? Hell, if the THAAD was such a great piece of air defense why didn’t we send a couple to Ukraine? Zelensky is begging for more air defense. The reason is simple — reportedly, there are only nine launchers in the entire world. Each launcher carries eight missiles, which means if Iran fires 100 missiles, 92% of them will be safe from THAAD.
Then there is the reloading and supply problem. Reportedly, Lockheed Martin built only 1,000 missiles for this system. There is not a ready supply sitting around in a warehouse waiting to be sent to the front. Oh yeah, almost forgot. Each missile costs $12.6 million. Not exactly what you would describe as a cheap piece of ammunition. As a tactical and strategic weapon, THAAD is a bust. It is not designed for the battlefield in Ukraine, where Russia can launch 200 missiles in one attack.
What is this really about? I believe it is an excuse to put US troops on the ground in Israel in hopes that it will deter Iran from striking near targets manned by US forces. It also is a tangible gesture of support for Israel by the Biden Administration, who may be playing a desperation card in order to persuade Israel not to attack Iran. From a military standpoint, this is a nothing burger.
I discussed this and other issues related to the genocidal war against the Palestinians and Lebanese with the Judge and Nima today.
Reprinted with permission from SONAR21
