Daniel Wesserbly

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At a time in history when nuclear weapons are easily available, and certain global leaders have eschewed rationality while possessing hair-trigger tempers, the fear of a nuclear attack is as high as it's been since the height of the Cold War. Who protects us from what could be our certain demise? Having the most powerful military force on earth is some comfort for citizens of the U.S., but only to a degree. Any launch of an Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) could result in countless lost lives, damage to property, and a way of life that might never recover. Standing in the way of our nation being harmed are roughly 300 men and women of the U.S. Army's 100th Missile Defense Brigade and 49th Missile Defense Battalion.

In his new book, Daniel Wasserbly, editor of the renowned military journal Jane's International Defence Review, has written a first-of-its-kind examination of this small group who work in secret to watch the world and keep us safe: THE 300: The Inside Story of the Missile Defenders Guarding America Against Nuclear Attack (St. Martin's Publishing Group, on sale June 16, 2020, $28.99 US).

North Korea, with actual nuclear capabilities, currently sits atop the watch dog list of rogue nuclear nations. Kim Jong Un is both a loose cannon and a calculating demagogue. Consider this: A missile launch inside North Korea would take slightly less than 30 minutes to arrive in Seattle. Within that 30 minute stretch there is a 7-minute window from the time the inbound missile crosses over into our interceptor missile system's third radar horizon. Testing has shown that the first two minutes and the last two minutes of that seven-minute window are statistically very bad for an intercept. Now, it really comes down to a 3-minute time frame in the middle. Just 3 minutes to save the country from nuclear disaster. Would Kim Jong Un actually ever consider a nuclear strike or is it all just a bargaining chip?

For decades the U.S. had been virtually powerless to truly stop an incoming missile attack. We've relied on NORAD and U.S. Northern Command buried deep under a granite shield in the Cheyenne Mountains. The attacks of 9/11 and the growing threat of rogue nations like North Korea and Iran, let alone Russia and China, changed the thinking. Our best hope for stopping a nuclear catastrophe rides with a three-pronged Missile Defense system in our military. Wasserbly shows how, spearheaded by the Missile Defense Agency in Virginia, the years of testing by those two MDA's divisions have set up the U.S. for what may be our only best hope to deter disaster.

In 2004, despite political wrangling, the U.S. moved forward with the Missile Defense Agency. Time and money were spent establishing this unit in Fort Greely, Alaska, and Schriever Air Force Base in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Testing on advanced interceptor weapons had as many roadblocks as successes. This unique 300-personnel unit took on the task of developing a system with the near-impossible objective: destroy an inflight ballistic weapon aimed at the U.S. Under the leadership of Richard Michalski, Dave Meakins and Michael Yowell, et al, in Colorado Springs; Greg Bowen and Mark Kiraly, et al in Alaska; and, Ron Kadish, Trey Obering and James Syring in the Virginia headquarters, the fate of 300 million Americans were in their hands. From desolate fields in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to the mountains of Colorado their engineering brain trust struggled to perfect this system of highly advanced, sensitive, and at times, unreliable technology. After a decade-and-a-half, they have created a shield that can successfully protect our nation. Their slogan, "300 for 300 Million." Daniel Wasserbly had unprecedented access and dozens of exclusive interviews, combined with years of research to craft their amazing and heroic story, one that will allow us to sleep better at night knowing these brave men and women are on watch.