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Report Says More Tests Needed on Missile Defense
Many aspects of the U.S. missile defense system set for deployment later this year require more extensive testing, according to a new report from the General Accounting Office (see GSN, March 10). The report, described by the Washington Post today, assesses the Bush administration’s efforts against a list of recommendations issued by former Pentagon chief weapons evaluator Philip Coyle in the final weeks of Bill Clinton’s presidency. Clinton decided in August 2000 against deploying system in favor of further development and testing. President George W. Bush altered the program substantially, committing to deployment of a national antimissile system by the end of this year. The report says there is still insufficient test data on system actions such as identification of decoys, multiple launches of interceptors, nighttime intercepts and operation under adverse weather. “The report very clearly indicates that there’s not been enough progress to give us any sense of security and comfort that this system is at a place where it ought to move forward,” said Representative John Tierney (D-Mass.), who requested the report. The GAO report contends that the Coyle recommendations are “still relevant because the technical challenges and uncertainty with developing, testing and fielding effective defensive capabilities … remain significant” (Bradley Graham, Washington Post, March 11).
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