cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/44616333
President Donald Trump left out a key detail this week when he outlined his plans for a massive missile and air defense shield over the continent: He can’t build it without Canada.
Ottawa has historically funded about 40 percent of NORAD investments, according to VanHerck, and is putting $38 billion into the command to add new radars in the north over the next two decades. Without those investments — and additional sensors that can peer over the North Pole — officials believe the U.S. will have trouble putting together a credible North American air defense.
I know for a fact that parts of it can be built now. Everyone is in these comments trying to pretend that its still 1983 (the year Reagan announced SDI) while ignoring the fact that PATRIOT, NIKE, and THAAD have existed for two decades. Never mind that DE M-SHORAD, DRAGONFIRE and some others are already in production in various countries.
This ain’t 1983. Many things considered impossible 42 years ago are so routine in 2025 that we take them for granted.
“Parts of it can be built” is doing a lot of legwork, when they have to double the amount of interceptors for every missile thrown out, I’ll admit!
The tracking and fire control systems already exist. The show stopper right now in 2025 is the cost; mostly because the needed missiles are ungodly expensive and you need so many of them.
But what if the system no longer needs missiles?