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In Praise of Missile Defenses

[Jerusalem Post] Editorial - According to Uzi Rubin, the former head of Israel's Arrow missile defense program, the "Iron Dome" defense system approved by the Israeli cabinet against short-range rockets will cost about $30,000-$40,000 to shoot down a single Kassam rocket. This sounds expensive, given that a Kassam costs a small fraction of that to produce and shoot. Rubin suggests, however, that this is the wrong way to calculate cost effectiveness. What matters is that the alternatives are either much more expensive or unacceptable: "hardening" entire cities, a massive ground incursion into Gaza, evacuating Sderot and other towns, or allowing the status quo to continue. The first two options cost much more than Iron Dome and have serious drawbacks. A city cannot be "hardened" against missiles completely, and a ground operation would cause many IDF casualties. Evacuating cities is unacceptable, as is the status quo, which, in any case, is liable to worsen if Israel does not address the missile threat. Defenses are no panacea, but they can be a critical part of a comprehensive strategy that includes deterrence, diplomacy and offensive operations. Missile defenses - combined with other measures - are critical to making Kassams, Scuds and Katyushas obsolete, just as the security fence was to defeating suicide bombers. The goal is peace, but removing military options from our enemies is critical to getting there. The less vulnerable Israel is, the greater the potential that diplomacy can lead to a sustainable peace.
2007-12-25 01:00:00
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