Thomas L Adkins

United States Air Defense: Poised for Success or Failure? Thomas L Adkins

Terrorist Attack America Day turned into night almost instantly as numerous small airplanes, such as crop dusters and Cessna 152s peppered the sky. At first, there were clouds of mist. Suddenly the explosions began and chaos followed. The aircraft struck their targets in a well organized destructive plot. This was the scene across America's fan-packed football stadiums and crowded cities. Fighter aircraft streaked across the sky with orders to shoot down the aircraft, but they were too late. The damage was done; terrorists attack the United States again. Could this be a scene in our future? Or is this farfetched? The question may not be easily answered. The current air defense strategy may not be as strong as our nation's leaders say it is. Air attack on the United States was not conceivable early in our history because our land was protected by two vast oceans to the east and west, while non-threatening neighbors made up the northern and southern borders. Intercontinental bombers and the development of the atomic bomb by the Soviet Union in 1949 made our nation realize the threat could indeed come from the air.