Our Leaky Umbrella

This is Frank Gaffney with the Secure Freedom Minute.  

Last week, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta assured our South Korean allies and warned their enemies – and ours – in North Korea that America’s nuclear “umbrella” is in place.  Such assurances ring increasingly hollow, however, given the sorry state of our deterrent.

 

Our nuclear-armed missiles and bombers are increasingly antiques.  Some of the latter were actually flown by their present pilots’ grandfathers.  The weapons they carry are also old and obsolescing; none has been realistically tested underground for almost twenty years.

 

It must be asked:  At what point will our deterrent no longer reliably deter the likes of North Korea, or perhaps China?  What if our friends like South Korea, Japan or Taiwan stop feeling secure under our unreliable “umbrella” – and decide to acquire nuclear weapons of their own?

 

We dare not find out.

 

This is Frank Gaffney with the Secure Freedom Minute.  Learn more at securefreedomradio.com.