After 9/11, our think tank, actually it was my concept, proposed that we use military veterans to fly missions around Washington DC using Raytheon T-6 Texan II aircraft, yes, armed. Why? Simple, the cost would be cheap to operate, it would give the former military something to do, and it would provide full-time aerial surveillance and be a good defense against light aircraft entering restricted airspace there. Okay, so let’s continue this conversation, okay?
Dispatching F-16 fighter jets when a small light aircraft invades the restricted area over Washington DC is a bit of a stretch. You see, first, the F-16 has to slow down and make sure it’s a real threat. Worse yet, if they were to shoot such a plane down, or shoot it out of the sky, it makes more sense to have a prop plane for constant surveillance and only use the jets when necessary.
Can you imagine an F-16 taxiing in a small private single-engine plane to fire a missile or shoot it down with weapons? Speed ​​differential is an issue, I’d say, and you wouldn’t want the F-16 going out of flight trying to maneuver that way. And yes, a small private plane could be a problem, for example, the dispersion of biological weapons, see that point.
Boy, there was a great article on NextGov Online News the other day, it looks like our government is finally getting smart about things, namely its number one job; protecting the American people! The article I am referring to was titled; “DHS Could Adopt Defense Tech for Border Policing and Hire Veterans to Run It,” by Aliya Sternstein and published on November 15, 2011.
Well, I sure like that idea, since you’d have some of America’s greatest patriots running the show. They would certainly care more than anyone else, and would use common sense in their judgment instead of political correctness. To me, that sounds like a brilliant idea, and maybe even with my previous thoughts on security back in 2001. You see, we have a lot of talent in the United States, and people who have been there and understand the game.
As a US citizen, I would rather be protected by a veteran who has served our country, believes in America, and would never let anything happen to him. And you? In fact, I hope you will please consider all of this and think about it.
