It's time to embrace Missile Defense?

[Syed_Adeel]

Saudi Arabia has been intercepting ballistic missiles on a regular basis, but when I come on PDF the keyboard field marshals say they don't work and Pakistan doesn't need them.

Ex chairman of Strategic Command Genr(R) Khalid told recently that DBM which India has including s400 has little value to induct while the cost is too high and Pakistan Intentionally decided to NOT to go for BDM.

Note: For Air defence Pakistan has already a layer of
Oerlikon Guns and Anza Shoulder fire missiles
FN90 SRAM missiles
HQ16 and SPADA 2000 MRAM missiles
HQ9 LRAM to be inducted in near future.

 

[SABRE]

Ex chairman of Strategic Command Genr(R) Khalid told recently that DBM which India has including s400 has little value to induct while the cost is too high and Pakistan Intentionally decided to NOT to go for BDM.

Note: For Air defence Pakistan has already a layer of
Oerlikon Guns and Anza Shoulder fire missiles
FN90 SRAM missiles
HQ16 and SPADA 2000 MRAM missiles
HQ9 LRAM to be inducted in near future.

Former DG SPD Lt. Gen (Rtd) Khalid Kidwai and his team members were right to question the feasibility of BMD in South Asia and the necessity of its acquisition by Pakistan. We have a first-use, or use-when-felt-necessary, or flexible-response policy. Our posture is offensive & BMD is defensive, not to forget costly and sub-effective. Thus Pakistan made a "cautious" decision not to pursue its acquisition. But it has a psychological effect that pulls the adversary into an arms race, forcing them to invest in other costly offensive technologies like MIRV & MARV. We have been put on that path.

My problem, however, is the future BMD systems. The Americans pulled the plug on ABM Treaty not just to help its military industry sell their costly sub-effective BMD systems to military technology crazed states but also to push forward the R&D into developing and incorporating emerging technologies. Given the recent advances in micro-computers, guidance systems, radars, & warheads the R&D establishments sooner or later may innovate complex and highly capable BMD systems. As technology will advance so would BMD's effectiveness. The Indians follow the American model on BMD. They do have a fairly advance research programme. Whether they are able to duplicate the potential future American innovations is not as important a problem as them claiming that they can do it & coming up with a rudimentary but similar capability. This will further complicate our strategic calculus. Given our classic premature action-reaction pattern of behavior, we would be embroiled into an unending and detrimental costly arms development of our own, without waiting to see if the Indian development is even worth responding to (much as we are doing now with our MIRV development). Even though we don't feel the need for BMD right now we must keep the research open for future emergencies.

The other option, which I wholeheartedly endorse, is that both India and Pakistan should pursue ABM Treaty of their own. Arms Control is more stabilizing than Arms Racing. It will also free up finances for technologies that can reinforce mutual deterrence.

 

[LeGenD]

Given the recent advances in micro-computers, guidance systems, radars, & warheads the R&D establishments sooner or later may innovate complex and highly capable BMD systems. As technology will advance so would BMD's effectiveness.

Already happening.

 

[Fawadqasim1]

Already happening.

Absolutely sir but the far cheaper countermeasures will evolve too.