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Executive Luncheon Series

National Missile Defense and Responding to Terrorism

Speaker: Jeff Baxter

Date: Wednesday, September 19, 2001

Sponsor:Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities

Location: Potomac Institute for Policy Studies

Executive Summary

Jeff Baxter, a leading consultant for the U.S. Department of Defense and member of the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies' Board of Regents, addressed a distinguished audience of media, academia, and government officials regarding the topics of missile defense and potential responses to terrorism.

Baxter began his presentation by stressing the importance of the U.S. having an adequate missile defense system. Not only is it vital to protecting our nation in the event of an attack, but it is also a valuable diplomatic tool. He went on to point out, however, that the current system is in serious need of improvement, leaving the U.S. unprepared to defend its homeland from being damaged by ballistic missile attacks.

The current inadequate missile defense system endangers our very way of life, Baxter suggests. If two attacks on the U.S. were made simultaneously, major damage would be sustained and, if one of those attacks targeted oil fields, the price of gas could potentially triple.

The obsolete missile defense systems of other countries also pose a serious threat to the U.S., Baxter pointed out. Russia's financial problems, for example, have left its missile defense system in a state of neglect with satellites that are literally falling apart. This, according to Baxter, is a recipe for disaster, since a malfunction of Russia's satellites has already nearly prompted a missile strike against the U.S. by misinterpreting data as an incoming U.S. attack against Russia.

Turning to the subject of terrorism, Baxter stated that the U.S. is now immersed in World War III. The attack against the World Trade Center, he said, was this war's "Pearl Harbor," and the hijacked planes were, in actuality, "manned cruise missiles."

Responding effectively to the terrorist threat requires a new way of thinking, according to Baxter. "Our Western template doesn't apply to other countries," he stated. Thus, it's important to consider their particular philosophies. North Korea, for example, doesn't test its missiles. It simply designs, builds, and fires them.

In the case of China, a strong U.S. missile defense system isn't a deterrent, since the Chinese government has little or no concern for protecting its general population from weapons of mass destruction. In China's eyes, "Bombing will just solve their housing problem," so the Chinese government is largely unafraid of precipitating a nuclear attack.

Terrorist leader Usama bin Laden, on the other hand, doesn't even need a missile guidance system, since he uses suicide pilots. In the eyes of bin Laden's followers, said Baxter, "Dying takes you out of poverty and into paradise," since they believe themselves to be on a holy mission.

How, then, do we protect ourselves from the likes of suicide pilots? "First of all, don't underestimate them," Baxter suggested. They're not cowards; they're willing to die for their cause, he points out.

Second, the U.S. needs to effectively employ its most powerful weapon: its cultural power. Stronger than either military might or economic power is the U.S. cultural influence. From rock concerts in Russia, to McDonald's in China, to the vast popularity of "Baywatch" in the Far East, people hunger for American culture, even in areas of the world where it is forbidden.

"We (the U.S.) perfected the art of Perception Engineering, now we need to utilize this," according to Baxter. By studying the Koran and the culture of Islamic terrorists, for example, we can learn to use information to influence and change the views of potential suicide terrorists. By applying our knowledge of those certain basic needs and drives that all humans share, once their cultures and philosophies are understood, terrorists' attitudes can be influenced. By challenging terrorists' perceptions, we can cause them to doubt their beliefs, which is at least a start to discouraging terrorist acts and suicide bombers.

In addition to propaganda, chemicals – and even music – can be effectively utilized to alter moods, perceptions, and expectations, Baxter proposed. The point is that we need to stop being reactive and start being proactive.

In closing, Baxter stressed the vital importance of influencing the perceptions of both political and religious leaders in terrorist countries. These are the people, he said, who have the most power to change and discourage those cultural attitudes and philosophies that engender terrorism.