The DOD announced a site for a new US missile defense system today: Adak Island.
This is exactly where I expected the first 21st century land-based ABM system would go. It is the most likely of two well placed islands in the Aleutians Chain extending south and west from Alaska. Adak Island is an old NSA Cold War listening post and has a military airfield.
It also just happens to sit almost exactly on the great circle route on which a North Korean based ICBM must travel to reach American soil. The DOD release doesn’t mention that little tidbit. You’ve heard it first on Samizdata.
When I was in Naval Air, flying in P-3 sub hunters, we used to tease people being sent to Adak for duty:
“You’ll love it, there’s a woman behind every tree.”
As far as I know, there aren’t any trees, although when I went there the weather was too bad to find out.
But it is large enough for a good sized installation, and the Navy Air there can provide adequate patrol to detect potential attacks.
North Korean — or Chinese.
I used to live in Corpus Christi where the SBX is undergoing modification. It’s good to see the city get the business.