Norrah O'Donnell: And as the nation honors its veterans, the Pentagon is busy developing weapons to fight future wars from space. Details of the 2008 Defense Spending Bill are set to be made public tomorrow, and it's expected to call for over eight billion dollars toward funding missile defense. If realized, the system could deliver a precision strike anywhere on the planet within two hours. With us now are two distinguished military veterans, retired U.S. Army Colonel Jack Jacobs and retired U.S. Army General Wesley Clark. Welcome to both of you.
Col. Jack Jacobs: Good to be here
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thank you, Norrah.
Norrah O'Donnell: And gentlemen, let me say on behalf of all of us, Happy veterans day, and it is an honor to have both of you here on this day when the nation, of course, pauses to remember yours and other veterans' service to our country. So, thank you. General, let me start with you. We've been hearing about these so-called 'Star wars' technologies since the Reagan administration. Much of that technology was obsolete by the time it was built. What's new here about this new plan, and do you think it will work?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, ever since Saddam Hussein began lobbing SCUDs at, at Israel and Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War, we've become very very seriously engaged in real missile defense. This is not 'Star Wars'. This is being able to actually strike an incoming warhead, and we've got better and better technology for detecting these warheads and guiding a means to striking them, either an airborne laser or a hit-to-kill intercept system. And that's what's actually being developed year by year over a 12-, 14-year period of time. So, these are systems that are coming on board. They're increasingly able, and they're a very valuable element in the U.S. defense posture.
Norrah O'Donnell: Colonel, you just heard the General outlay why we, we need them. How exactly would they work?
Col. Jack Jacobs: Well, they would use precision-guided systems to track and catch a warhead after it's i-in the most difficult position to get, and that is when it's in re-entry. The best thing to do is catch it on the ground, but we're not, we're not likely to do ay preemptive strikes anytime soon.
Norrah O'Donnell: Mm hm.
Col. Jack Jacobs: And the whole concept of trying to catch warheads as they come in is scaring people like Putin in Russia and so on, because he doesn't like very much our- what appears to be to him and extension of our reach from our continent to his continent. And this thing, despite the fact that we're in a position perhaps to protect our own allies, it scares people like our enemies and Putin too.
Norrah O'Donnell: Absolutely. And General, you know, one of the other projects included in this bill that we're talking about is called to KEI Interceptor missile. What can you tell us about those?
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, I'm not familiar with all the technical details-
Norrah O'Donnell: Mm hm.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: -of these, but all of these are kinetic energy intercepts.
Norrah O'Donnell: Mm.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: In other words, it's a hit-to-kill technology. You track through infrared telescopes the exact location. The missile has a homing device on it. It reads the infrared signature of the incoming missile. It has steerable engines on it, and it actually accelerates into the warhead. And then the kinetic energy, as this strikes the warhead destroys it. You may remember, Norrah, that back during the Gulf War, we had some problems, because our missiles then didn't hit. They actually were proximity-fused. And so, they might deflect the warhead, but it might still strike the ground with it's, with it's payload. And so, under the kinetic energy intercept concept-
Norrah O'Donnell: Mm hm.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: -we can actually strike and totally obliterate a warhead in outer space.
Norrah O'Donnell: Colonel, we're, we're talking about a military hardware here, but we all know that, that the most important military assets we have are the men and women fighting in the military and our, and our veterans. On a day like Veterans Day, it is important to remember. Are they getting the care that they need certainly when they're returning to home?
Col. Jack Jacobs: Well, there's no such thing as giving too much care to your veterans. No matter how much money we spend, no matter how, how much time we spend, there's no way that we can repay the young people who defend us. There aren't enough of them, by the way. They're very, very dedicated. I-I- You're talking to a guy who believes in universal service. I'd like to see some contribution to the defense of the republic, even in our communities, not necessarily in the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines-
Norrah O'Donnell: Mm hm.
Col. Jack Jacobs: -by everybody, so that we all have a stake in the outcome of our own defense.
Norrah O'Donnell: Well Gentlemen, thank you so much for your time, and Happy Veterans' Day again.
Col. Jack Jacobs: Thank you.
GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Thank you.