
 |
|
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
June 10, 2004
/ 21 Sivan, 5764
White House insiders themselves failed to grasp Reagan's strategic genius
By
Jack Kelly
http://www.jewishworldreview.com |
His enemies, and many of his friends (including me) failed to appreciate the
genius of Ronald Reagan's strategy for defeating the Soviet Union.
I was a deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force during Reagan's second
term. At the time, there was considerable debate within the administration
and (especially) on Capitol Hill about the wisdom of going forward with
procurement of the B-2 Stealth bomber.
I was against it. The B-2's ostensible job was to roam around the Soviet
Union after the nuclear war had started, looking for Soviet rail mobile
missiles to bomb. Since the Stealth was estimated to cost upwards of $120
million a copy, I thought the money could be better spent on weapons that
might keep the nuclear war from happening in the first place.
But I didn't understand what that "dumb cowboy" did.
"His strategy was to spend (the Soviets) to death," said retired Vice
Admiral J.D. Williams. "It worked."
The B-2 was an integral part of this strategy. The rule of the thumb is
that it costs about three times as much to defend against a bomber as it
does to pose the threat, and no defense is ever completely leak proof.
There are means of detecting a Stealth, but they require major investments
in technology.
The Soviets, moreover, would have to spend as much to guard against 10 B-2s
as against 100. If the Soviets didn't defend all of their borders, they
would be vulnerable, no matter how many (or how few) B-2s we had. Given the
immenseness of the Soviet Union, this was a fiscally impossible task.
President Reagan's plans for missile defense were another nail in the Soviet
Union's financial coffin. As a practical matter, it was technically
impossible in the 1980s to construct a "leakproof" defense against Soviet
missiles. There were just too many of them. And we couldn't have afforded
to build such a defense, even if it were technically feasible.
But even a partially effective defense would deprive the Soviets of the
confidence that they could launch a disarming first strike.
Two to three nuclear warheads need to be targeted on a missile silo to be
sure of taking it out. But a disarming strike on our retaliatory capacity
had to be timed to the microsecond, because of the problem of fraticide (the
detonation of the first nuclear warhead destroys or knocks off target
subsequent warheads). If we would be able to take out just a few Soviet
warheads, lousing up the sequence, the fratricide problem becomes
essentially unsolvable.
To retain the threat of a disarming first strike, the Soviets were faced
with a technological challenge they didn't have the ability to meet, and a
financial challenge they didn't have the resources to meet.
Reagan compounded their problems by authorizing Bill Casey, his wily CIA
director, to sabotage the Russian economy. The Soviets in those days were
stealing as much Western technology as they could, because their own
sclerotic system was unable to keep up. Casey let them steal software that
contained hidden malfunctions, software that was used in the natural gas
pipeline the Soviets were building to Western Europe.
"The result was the most monumental non-nuclear explosion ever seen from
space," wrote former Air Force Secretary Thomas Reed. The Soviets lost
their chief source of hard currency, and had to wonder ever after if there
were Trojan horses in other technologies they were stealing from the West.
Reagan engaged the Soviets indirectly by supporting anticommunist resistance
movements in Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Angola and Mozambique. He was the
first president since the Cold War began to put the Soviets on the
defensive, but he did so in a way that minimized the risk of a direct
military confrontation.
And Reagan engaged the Soviets morally by called the "evil empire" by its
right name. This appalled Western intelligentsia, but it resonated with
ordinary people the world over.
In his final address from the White House, Reagan told the story of a
sailor, patrolling the South China sea, who came upon a boatload of
refugees, hoping to get to the United States. "Hello, Freedom Man," one of
them called out.
Ronald Reagan has left us for the real "shining city on a hill." Farewell,
Freedom Man.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in Washington and in the media consider "must reading." Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Jack Kelly, a former Marine and Green Beret, was a
deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force in the Reagan
administration. Comment by clicking here.
Jack Kelly Archives
© 2004, Jack Kelly
|