Possible missile launch off California coast concerns security experts

The country’s focus is clearly on the economy, but last week’s non-confirmed missile launch off the coast of Southern California has many security experts baffled over the government’s seemingly cavalier attitude and denials.

Many retired military personnel have come forward to offer their opinion about what really happened last week off the coast in southern California. Many of these officers question President Obama’s leadership and the limited “problem-solving ability” he has demonstrated with this current crisis.

“The American people would do well to demand a full investigation by an unbiased group, and let the chips fall where they may. I am referring to the ‘missile shot’ taken off the California coast recently, and the lame response by NORAD, the Pentagon and the White House itself,” says Jim CashBrig. Gen., USAF, Ret.

Brig. Gen. Cash’s Air Force career date’s back to the eighties when he was assigned to NORAD. He served as the Command Director as well as NORAD’s assistant Director of Operations.

For those who need a refresher class on the NORAD facility, it is located inside the Cheyenne Mountain compound near Colorado Springs, Colorado. The center is manned 24-hours a day by more than 150 trained individuals, lead by a Brigadier General, and home to the most sophisticated computer systems in the world.

Brig. Gen. Cash explains that the high-tech computer system retrieves data from sensors that can detect missile shots from anywhere on the planet.

NORAD’s equipment is designed to protect America from its eyes in the sky. “All this data would have been taken into consideration when making the ‘assessment’ about whether or not North America and/or Canada were threatened by such a launch. If the launch was assessed as a true threat, the President was contacted immediately by NORAD through a military individual who is close to the President and carried what we called, ‘the football,’ a black brief case with release codes for our nuclear forces. I know the system well, as for nearly three years I led one of those teams,” Brig. Gen. Cash said.

During Cash’s 25 years of being a pilot he says they spent untold hours studying and being tested on visually identifying an air-to-air threat that included its type and threat potential. “I understand the difference in an aircraft contrail and a missile launch contrail.”

“In my opinion there is absolutely no doubt that what was captured on video off the coast of California was a missile launch, (that it was) was clearly observed by NORAD, assessed by a four-star General in minutes, and passed to the President immediately,” Brig. Gen. Cash said. “That is the way the system works and heads fall if there is a failure.”

While television news shows have shown pundits and military personnel taking both sides of the missile launch issue, there has been little news from the White House and there has been no talk of an investigation into what exactly happened off the California coast.

The question left unanswered is why NORAD put out a muted reaction and why they claim that America was never threatened. This led to a potential cover-up or front story concocted that the missile launch theory was nothing more than an American airlines plane headed to Hawaii. Cash believes this decision was made by a four-star, and protocol dictates the President would be in on the decision-making process.

Brig. Gen. Cash concedes the Pentagon and the White House may have wanted to keep the threat under the radar in order to prevent wide-spread panic across the country. However he says the leadership may want to be careful about keeping the newly-awakened American public in the dark.

“In my opinion we must question the timing of this shot across our bow. The President was abroad being diplomatic, which means trying to placate China which is becoming overly concerned with our handling a totally out of control deficient in spending,” Cash explained. “China is devoting a major portion of their GDP to defense spending, and what better time to show the US that they can slip a missile equipped submarine through the South Pacific undetected right up to one of our largest cities, than right now. And, the Chinese have the guts to do it.”

The alleged show of aggressive action lends itself to further investigation into what country may want to harm America and the fact that they came so close.

“This is a show of force sending a signal that downtown USA is now capable of being hit by an undetected submarine and at any time,” Brig. Gen. Cash said. “It may very well be the beginning of the real power struggle between the United States and China. If so, I predict the next phase will be China's demand for the US to cease support of Taiwan.”

Security experts say Obama is reluctant to let word out regarding a possible military threat because his administration has already slashed defense spending. “We have seen it already when the F-22 buy was cut from over 600 aircraft to 187, and research and development for follow on systems severely reduced… If the American people fully realized the severity of the threat they might demand restoring our military to face the growing threat from China and Russia, as opposed to the massive domestic spending that we have witnessed over the past two years,” Brig. Gen. Cash said.

On the other hand, President Ronald Reagan always operated from the peace through strength camp. He knew that a strong military prevents war. Cash wholeheartedly agrees with the former president and says not only does military weakness invites war but takes away the deterrence for bullying.

“If there was ever a time for the people to look closely at the national leadership and demand honesty and integrity, it is now,” Brig. Gen. Cash said. “This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. It is time to elect a President and a Congress who will put country above self, and defend this great nation against all enemies, foreign or domestic.”

The 9/11 attacks changed America’s future causing the United States declare war in the Middle East and ferret out those enemies who seek the country’s destruction. While there have been some successes with killing or capturing high-profile al Qaeda henchmen, the world remains a dangerous place and terrorist lurk everywhere on the planet.

One certainty remains clear- America will not relent on the quest for peace and potential enemies may want to heed the strength of the U.S. military and the nation’s resolve when it comes to war.

For more stories; http://www.examiner.com/county-political-buzz-in-san-diego/kimberly-dvorak