ANALYSIS – The African Jihad Problem

By: Kylie Bull, Managing Editor 01/15/2015 ( 5:59am)

Last week, terror attacks in France killed 12 people. At the same time, Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria murdered approximately 2,000. The disparity in the media and public reaction to both events is immense. On the same day as the attacks on the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo’s office in Paris, the French reacted with public displays of unity, solidarity and defense of free speech. This diffused to other European countries and around the world. There have been no such displays or widespread condemnation in relation to the attacks in Nigeria, which not only amassed a greater number of casualties, but used female and child suicide bombers – one as young as ten years old.

Why is this? In this day and age surely there is nobody who believes that an African life is worth less than an American, a Dutch or an Australian life. No, it’s not that.

US considers Extended Range THAAD, enhanced BMS to defend against attacking hypersonic gliders

Jan 9, 2015

 

THAAD ER is currently in a company funded concept phase. The Missile Defense Agency has supported the study with approximately $2 million in FY14 funding to study the potential concept of operations.

Lockheed Martin’s air and missile defense systems – Patriot PAC-3 (upper), enhanced version (MSE) and the THAAD (lower), shown on a missile display at Lockheed Martin’s display.

 

The US Missile defense Agency (MDA) is seeking future missile defense measures that will be able to defeat hypersonic glide vehicles, similar to those being developed by China, Russia and India. A Chinese hypersonic glide vehicle (HGV) tested in January 2014 demonstrated China’s technological ability to fly such vehicles at a speed 10 times the speed of sound (Mach 10). While interceptors can deal with targets flying at such speed, the less predicted flight path and the friction with upper atmosphere make it more difficult for intercept, at least from the ground, analysts suggest.

Happy New Year!