Prompt, as in One Hour

March 31, 2006

Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) wanted to know what exactly differentiates Global Strike from Prompt Global Strike. Marine Corps Gen. James E. Cartwright, head of US Strategic Command, explained at a Senate strategic forces subcommittee hearing this week that the key difference is timing. He said that the premise behind PGS is that the US should be able to deliver a non-nuclear strike on a time-sensitive target in “one hour, any place” in the world. Cartwright noted that some high-value targets could have been eliminated during the initial stages of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan had the capability—and a simplified chain of command approval process—been in place.

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