- They discuss Trump’s missile defense plans, the filmmaking process, and Hollywood’s surprising influence on nuclear policy—from Dr. Strangelove to Crimson Tide.
Pentagon Frets Over ‘A House of Dynamite’ Nuclear Doomsday Film
(Bloomberg) -- The plot of A House of Dynamite, the new thriller from Academy Award winner Kathryn Bigelow, hinges on — spoiler alert — US missile defenses failing to knock down a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile headed for Chicago.
A Missile Defense Agency internal memorandum argues that the doomsday scenario depicted in the movie is inaccurate. The Oct. 16 memo, a copy of which was obtained by Bloomberg News, is meant to make sure agency leadership “has situational awareness and is not ‘surprised’ by the topic, which may come up in conversations or meetings.”
- The object of the Missile Defense Agency’s angst is depiction of US missile defense as ineffective, especially in light of the fact that President Donald Trump wants to spend tens of billions of dollars on missile defense, including with his bid for a “Golden Dome” defensive umbrella.
Accuracy Rate
One focus of the memo is a line in the movie in which the defense secretary, played by Jared Harris, laments that current missile defenses have a 50% chance of knocking down a missile despite their $50 billion price tag.
The MDA says that’s based on earlier prototypes and today’s interceptors “have displayed a 100% accuracy rate in testing for more than a decade.”
Experts dispute that. Laura Grego, a long-time missile defense critic with the Union of Concerned Scientists who has seen the film, said the scenario it depicts is the least threatening possible — a single missile on a known trajectory. Military tests have been similarly limited, she said.
“A robust defense should anticipate facing multiple incoming ICBMs and credible decoys, and direct attacks on missile defense elements, but none of those were part of the story in this film,” Grego said. “The fictional threat is arguably about as easy as they come.”
The Pentagon said in a statement to Bloomberg News that it wasn’t consulted for the film, which “does not reflect the views or priorities of this administration.” The system “remains a critical component of our national defense strategy, ensuring the safety and security of the American people and our allies.”
A Netflix spokesperson didn’t respond to a request for comment.
A representative for Bigelow pointed to her remarks on CBS’s Sunday Morning arguing that she didn’t seek cooperation from the Pentagon.
“I felt that we needed to be more independent,” she told CBS. “But that being said, we had multiple tech advisers who have worked in the Pentagon. They were with me every day we shot.”’
The Trump administration hasn’t disclosed substantive details of its still ill-defined Golden Dome land, sea and space-based defensive shield. Space Force General Michael Guetlein, the four-star general leading the effort, last month completed a blueprint for the program. The Pentagon declined to provide details about its scope or cost.
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