OPINION:
Army Secretary Christine Wormurth said this week that “the Biden administration’s decision to send the sophisticated THAAD antimissile system to a military base in Israel … [is] a clear signal of continuing U.S. support for Israel” (“U.S. Army chief Wormuth says THAAD delivery sign of firm U.S. support for Israel as threats mount,” web, Oct. 14).
It is hard to believe Ms. Wormuth’s assertion that one Terminal High Altitude Area Defense missile system will make any difference for Israel. The THADD only has 48 missiles, and the last Iranian attack consisted of 180 missiles. THAAD missiles only weigh 1,459 pounds at launch, and their warhead is no heavier than 186 pounds.
The “meat” of the system is just a slight improvement over the old Hawk anti-aircraft missile, which is 17 feet long and has a 100-pound warhead. It takes one Hawk to bring down one enemy plane, and it takes one THAAD missile to bring down one Iranian missile.
Each missile in the THAAD system costs over $20 million.
You would have thought that by now the U.S. would have developed a heavy-duty laser weapon capable of neutralizing the electronics of any missile between here and the moon. Instead, we are being told that we have a great system — but it will be out of ammo before it has destroyed even a third of an incoming Iranian missile attack.
It is said that the first casualty in war is the truth. Well, Hamas would have us believe that the Palestinians have suffered 41,000 dead.
Every death is a tragedy, cutting into the lives of every survivor. But if Hamas were telling the truth, there should have been 41,000 funerals in Gaza by now. Likewise, if the U.S. were telling the truth, it would admit that President Biden’s piddling missile support for Israel is not going to scare the Iranians at all.
JIM FRENCH
Freeport, Illinois
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