US plans to use ballistic missiles against terrorists
By Anwar Iqbal
WASHINGTON, May 30: The Pentagon is continuing to press for a plan to put conventional warheads on inter-continental ballistic missiles for use against potential terrorist targets. The proposed non-nuclear warhead will be placed on submarine-launched Trident II missiles and would be able to reach its target anywhere in the world within an hour.
A paper, prepared by the US Strategic Command, defines the targets as a weapon assembly site, a terrorist meeting any wherein the world or the gathering of known terrorists which may disperse before a conventional attack is launched.
The proposal, however, is facing a stiff resistance from Congress which fears that it could trigger a nuclear war. The Pentagon , however, continues to lobby for the plan.
Earlier this month, two former defence secretaries, Harold Brown and James Schlesinger wrote an op-ed article in the Washington Post, arguing that the US should arm some of the ballistic missiles on the Trident submarine with conventional warheads.
On Monday, New York Times had a front page story reporting that the current Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld fully supports the idea and hopes to get the system operational within two years.
The strategy is defined as the Global Strike plan which calls for rapid US retaliation to a gathering threat. A threat is defined as any development that may seriously hurt US interests at home or abroad.
