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[USA HERALD] - A few months ago, when 3I/ATLAS was lighting up the headlines and dominating the algorithm, the phrase “planetary defense” suddenly felt urgent. Lawmakers were briefed. Defense officials ran simulations. European and American agencies coordinated tabletop exercises. The public, at least briefly, was paying attention.

Now the public has moved on.

But the infrastructure hasn’t.

And neither have the strategic implications.

As tensions escalate in and around Iran — and as the United States continues to posture defensively against both overt and asymmetric threats from adversarial states — I believe we need to revisit something most commentators are missing.

Planetary defense was never just about an interstellar object.

It was about readiness.

When we covered 3I/ATLAS, I emphasized that planetary defense is not science fiction policy. It is real doctrine, real funding, real simulations, and real military coordination. The public framing focused on asteroids and interstellar debris. But from a legal and strategic standpoint, what those programs actually build is something broader: rapid-response infrastructure for unknown, high-velocity threats.