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Adopt GMD system to counter missile threat from North Korea

by Capt. George Autobee (Ret.), United States Marine Corps - 11/16/15 5:42 PM ET

Congress must listen to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter’s warnings about North Korea’s nuclear weapons and long-range missiles and take steps to defend us from this threat.

The cornerstone of defense against such weapons is the ground-based midcourse defense (GMD) system, which can track and intercept incoming ballistic missiles from rogue states like North Korea or Iran. Costing less than 0.5 percent of our defense budget, GMD is an affordable insurance for our country with a proven record of successfully shooting down missiles in nine tests.

{mosads}As North Korea continues advancing its missile technology, we must similarly continuously enhance GMD. Adding new technology to the “kill vehicles” could improve accuracy. Adding new sensors and radars would better detect and track enemy missiles. And we must increase the number of interceptors deployed at the current GMD bases.

While our enemies continue to develop nuclear weapons and long-range missiles able to reach our shores, Congress must invest in our defenses.

From Capt. George Autobee (Ret.), United States Marine Corps, Colorado City, Colo.

Restoring funding to NIH would incentivize pursuit of research

I read Dr. Lori Wilson’s Oct 28 op-ed on The Hill’s Congress Blog (“Curing every kind of breast cancer”) and wanted to echo her call for increased National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding.

I am 30 years old and working in my first postdoctoral fellowship, making $42,000 per year. I have three professional degrees that set me aside from the crowd, yet I cannot make ends meet. Add to this my 63-year-old father being diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy, which has no treatment options other than palliative care. While I am struggling with his insurable companies and often have to pay the bills myself, I often think I should give up my research career path; I can make five-times more with my expertise in oncology.

I had hoped to get married soon and start a family. While I have constant thoughts of getting back to clinical practice, my heart questions me about my passion and my purpose of life. In my postdoctoral training, grant funds have been cut down, making it difficult for scientists, especially those of us new to the field.

I see my high school friends who opted for computer engineering or other majors. With mere bachelor degrees they are earning nearly twice as much as I make. I had always been the best at school and my teachers and family have very high expectations from me. In spite of the educational achievements, when I look back at returns, it’s not only disappointing but at times make me feel like a failure. A daughter who is unable to take good care of her aging parents. A young woman who is afraid to start a family, as raising a family is full of responsibilities — as a postdoc I work more than 12 hours a day.

Science is the future of America. Science leads to discoveries and inventions. It is one of the noble professions that we should encourage and provide people pursuing it with more opportunities. Instead, the current scenario is presenting many roadblocks in the form of meager salaries, cutting grants, more work hours, peer pressure, lack of jobs. We need Congress to restore NIH funding and encourage students in science so they can make this world a better and healthier place to live.

From Omkara Veeranki, Houston, Texas