title: Obama Signs Star Wars II Defense Bill: Hypocrisy of Blaming Trump for “Arms Race”
text: 21st Century Wire says While politicians and news media alike are accusing Trump of pushing an  arms race  in his December 22nd Tweet about strengthening America s nuclear capability, the Obama administration made a landmark change to the policies governing space based weapons under the guise of missile defense. Why is the mainstream media silent on what Obama just did? Not only does this potentially damage relationships with other military powers such as Russia and China but is being called a massive waste of money. Leading defence scientists said the idea that a space-based system could provide security against nuclear attack is a fantasy   Tyler Durden Zero HedgeAs politicians and mainstream media blast Trump s apparently incendiary tweet regarding nuclear arms, none other than President Obama just signed legislation that, by striking a single word from longstanding US nuclear defence policy, could heighten tensions with Russia and China and launch the country on an expensive effort to build space-based defense systems.Oh the irony  Following Trump s tweet The United States must greatly strengthen and expand its nuclear capability until such time as the world comes to its senses regarding nukes  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 22, 2016The mainstream media has lambasted the president-elect for  endangering the world  and  starting another nuclear arms race.  However, that same mainstream media appears mute in their response to what President Obama just did The National Defence Authorisation Act, a year-end policy bill encompassing virtually every aspect of the US military, contained two provisions with potentially momentous consequences. As AP reports,One struck the word  limited  from language describing the mission of the country s homeland missile defence system. The system is said to be designed to thwart a small-scale attack by a non-superpower such as North Korea or Iran.A related provision calls for the Pentagon to start  research, development, test and evaluation  of space-based systems for missile defence.Together, the provisions signal that the US will seek to use advanced technology to defeat both small-scale and large-scale nuclear attacks.That could unsettle the decades-old balance of power among the major nuclear states.Huge bipartisan majorities in both houses of Congress approved the policy changes over the past month, with virtually no public debate.Although the White House had earlier criticised the changes, it stopped short of threatening a veto. On Friday, Obama signed the legislation.Leading defence scientists said the idea that a space-based system could provide security against nuclear attack is a fantasy It defies the laws of physics and is not based on science of any kind,  said L. David Montague, a retired president of missile systems for Lockheed and co-chair of a National Academy of Sciences panel that studied missile defence technologies at the request of Congress. Even if we darken the sky with hundreds or thousands of satellites and interceptors, there s no way to ensure against a dedicated attack,  Montague said in an interview.  So it s an opportunity to waste a prodigious amount of money. He called the provisions passed by Congress  insanity, pure and simple. Republican Congressman Trent Franks, who introduced and shepherded the policy changes in the House, said he drew inspiration from former president Ronald Reagan s Strategic Defence Initiative of the 1980s, which was intended to use lasers and other space-based weaponry to render nuclear weapons  impotent and obsolete.  Known as  Star Wars , the initiative cost taxpayers US$30 billion, but no system was ever deployed.Philip E. Coyle III, a former assistant secretary of defence who headed the Pentagon office responsible for testing and evaluating weapon systems, described the idea of a space-based nuclear shield as  a sham . To do this would cost just gazillions and gazillions,  Coyle said.  The technology isn t at hand   nor is the money. It s unfortunate from my point of view that the Congress doesn t see that. He added:  Both Russia and China will use it as an excuse to do something that they want to do. Continue this article at Zero HedgeREAD MORE MSM LIES AT: 21st Century Wire MSM Watch Files