U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld testified yesterday before the Senate Armed Services Committee (AFP photo/Luke Frazza). Missile Defense Not Yet Able To Protect U.S., Rumsfeld Says By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The national missile defense system the Bush administration began fielding in pieces last year presently lacks the capability to defend the United States, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in congressional testimony yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 15)...Full Story

DOE Reports Delays In MOX Program By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.S. Energy Department acknowledged to Congress last week delays in a U.S.-Russian effort to jointly eliminate about 70 tons of surplus weapon-grade plutonium (see GSN, Jan. 31)...Full Story

Lawmakers Propose U.S. Nonproliferation Director By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers in the House of Representatives last week introduced legislation that would create a “nonproliferation czar” to oversee U.S. efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction (see GSN, Feb. 12, 2003)...Full Story

	Friday, February 18, 2005

White House Nominee For National Intelligence Director Faces Challenges if Confirmed The White House nominee for national intelligence director, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq John Negroponte, will faces a number of challenges to restructuring to the U.S. intelligence community if confirmed, the Los Angeles Times reported today (see GSN, Feb. 17). Negroponte’s anticipated responsibilities include overseeing the 15 agencies that make up the U.S. intelligence community, preparing a consolidated intelligence budget, serving as the president’s chief intelligence adviser and coordinating priorities for strategic planning and covert operations.  He would also have to deal with increasing antagonism between the CIA and Defense Department, which has been increasing its intelligence-gathering activities. The job would also require working closely with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, whose agency spends 80 percent of the intelligence budget, the Times reported. One potential complication is the ambassador’s lack of “political backing,” a Bush administration official said. “Where's his political backing? In Congress?  No. From the Republican Party?  No. He’s not in the Cabinet.  Are Cabinet officers really going to report to him on anything?” the official said (Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 18). Intelligence experts said that a close working relationship between Negroponte and President George W. Bush would aid the ambassador in managing the intelligence community. “This is more about the president finding someone he can trust than someone who has the perfect skill set for the job,” said Ellen Laipson, former vice chairwoman of the National Intelligence Council (Priest/Wright, Washington Post, Feb. 18).  Back to top

Lawmakers Propose U.S. Nonproliferation Director By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers in the House of Representatives last week introduced legislation that would create a “nonproliferation czar” to oversee U.S. efforts to prevent the spread of weapons of mass destruction (see GSN, Feb. 12, 2003). The Omnibus Nonproliferation and Anti-Nuclear Terrorism Act of 2005 would establish within the executive office an Office of Nonproliferation Programs, to be headed by a director nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate. The director, who would serve as the president’s chief nonproliferation adviser, would be responsible for overseeing the various programs conducted by the Defense, Energy and State departments. Among the director’s responsibilities would be guiding the development of nonproliferation budgets and setting priorities. Representatives Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Christopher Shays (R-Conn.) sponsored the bill. A congressional staff member said earlier this week that White House support for the measure was unknown. The bill would also eliminate restrictions placed by Congress on nonproliferation aid provided to Russia and other former Soviet states through the Pentagon’s Cooperative Threat Reduction program and congressional restrictions placed specifically on chemical weapons elimination support for Russia. The bill would also remove a $50 million cap placed on CTR aid provided to countries outside of the former Soviet Union, and would provide the energy secretary with authority to spend departmental funds on nonproliferation projects in those nations. The bill seeks to address the proliferation threat posed by Russian tactical nuclear weapons by authorizing the Energy Department to aid Moscow in conducting an inventory of such weapons. It would further require the defense secretary to report to Congress on efforts to secure or dismantle the weapons. In addition, the president’s authority to fund nondefense-related research by former Soviet WMD scientists would be expanded.  The legislation also calls on the president to seek U.N. Security Council authorization for the Proliferation Security Initiative — a U.S.-led effort to interdict shipments of WMD related cargo; and to work with other countries to develop international standards on security for nuclear weapons and materials. In addition, the bill would require the president to report to Congress on measures to strengthen the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to prevent countries from obtaining nuclear weapons under the guise of seeking civilian nuclear power programs. It also seeks to enhance the Global Threat Reduction Initiative — a U.S.-Russian effort to recover stocks of fresh and spent highly enriched uranium fuel the two countries provided to research reactors around the world during the Cold War. “We have been warned repeatedly that we are in a race with terrorists who are actively seeking nuclear weapons.  The choice is ours: we can continue to risk an almost inevitable nuclear attack, or we can take action to prevent it,” Schiff said last week in a press statement. Back to top       India, Pakistan to Finalize Agreement on Missile Test Notification by July, Indian Official Says By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — India and Pakistan plan to finalize an agreement establishing a formal system of advance notification of missile tests by this summer, Indian External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh said Wednesday (see GSN, Jan. 3). The agreement is one of several Indian and Pakistani officials have been ordered to complete during a set of meetings scheduled to occur by July, Singh said during a joint press conference in Islamabad with his Pakistani counterpart Khurshid Kasuri. The press conference was held following Singh’s visit to Pakistan, the first by an Indian foreign minister since 1989, which also involved meetings with Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Other talks to be held by this summer will focus on finalizing memorandums of understanding between the Indian and Pakistani coastal and narcotics authorities, Singh said. India and Pakistan agreed last year to develop a formal advance notification system on missile tests to replace the informal approach now in place. Over the past year, both countries have conducted a number of tests of various nuclear-capable ballistic missile systems. U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency chief Vice Adm. Lowell Jacoby warned Congress this week that India and Pakistan’s continued ballistic missile efforts are a reflection of the “tension” between the two nuclear-armed rivals.    India and Pakistan also agreed to begin negotiations on developing an agreement to reduce the risk of nuclear accidents or unauthorized use of nuclear weapons, Singh said. Experts yesterday praised the two countries’ decision to develop such an agreement. “Not very long ago, the governments of India and Pakistan belittled the prospect of a nuclear accident or incident.   So this is a very positive development that is indicative of far more responsible nuclear stewardship,” said Michael Krepon, president emeritus of the Henry L. Stimson Center in Washington. One concern is that past confidence-building and risk-reduction measures were “hard to sustain” when Indian-Pakistani relations were poor, according to Teresita Schaffer, director of the South Asia program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “So it will be important to put a system in place that is robust enough, and gets exercised often enough, to be used in times of tension,” she said. Wednesday’s talks were the latest step in a composite peace dialogue India and Pakistan launched last year with the aim of resolving outstanding disputes. Chief among them is the issue of the divided Kashmir region, which remains a potential regional flashpoint. During this week’s meeting, Pakistan “impressed upon the Indian government for an early and final settlement,” Kasuri said. The two countries agreed to launch on April 7 a bus service between the capitals of the divided region — Srinagar on the Indian side of the informal Line of Control and Muzaffarabad on the Pakistani side. Travel will be conducted through an entry permit system, “once identities are verified,” a joint statement says. Both Singh and Kasuri on Wednesday praised the improved relations that have resulted so far from the peace dialogue. “We have noted with satisfaction the overall improvements in atmospherics between the two countries. We have taken positive steps that auger well for the future of bilateral relations. We are strongly committed to carrying forward the composite dialogue process to make it productive and fruitful,” Kasuri said. “I am convinced that cooperation between our two countries is not just a desirable objective; it is an imperative,” Singh said. “My visit has reinforced in me the determination to continue working for expanding cooperation and understanding between our two countries. The people of both our countries clearly desire it.” Back to top

DOE Reports Delays In MOX Program By Mike Nartker Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The U.S. Energy Department acknowledged to Congress last week delays in a U.S.-Russian effort to jointly eliminate about 70 tons of surplus weapon-grade plutonium (see GSN, Jan. 31). In a Feb. 7 letter sent to the leadership of the House and Senate Armed Services committees, Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said the department would not be able to meet a January 2009 objective to begin production of mixed-oxide (MOX) fuel. The United States and Russia have agreed to each eliminate 34 tons of plutonium through conversion to MOX fuel, which will be used to power civilian nuclear reactors. Bodman blamed the delay on the continuing dispute over who should accept liability for U.S. nonproliferation-related work in Russia. The dispute has disrupted “critical work” in Russia and has delayed the construction of MOX production facilities in both countries, he wrote. “Although we expect to settle liability in the near future, delays caused by this issue have made it impossible to meet the MOX production objective by January 2009,” Bodman wrote. Last year, then-Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham reported to Congress the department planned to resolve the liability dispute in time to meet the 2009 MOX production objective. “We are determined to resolve this issue in time to prevent slippages that will prevent us from meeting our 2009 commitments,” Abraham wrote. The U.S. State Department has recently provided Russia with a new proposal to resolve the liability dispute, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-N.M.) in a Feb. 14 letter. She did not provide details of the new proposal. “The ball is now in Russia’s court,” she wrote. “A resolution would pave the way for settling other issues with Russia for plutonium disposition, as well as for other cooperative programs affected by this impasse.” The Energy Department since 2004 has been required to annually submit to Congress a report on the implementation of a 2003 construction and operations schedule for the planned U.S. MOX production facility, to be built at the department’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina. The schedule called for the start of MOX fuel production by Jan. 1, 2009, the production of 1 metric ton of fuel by the end of that year, and the conversion of all 34 metric tons of plutonium by the start of 2019. Bodman told Congress last week that the Energy Department will need to “restructure the planned schedule and funding requirements that were contained in the 2003 plan.” “We will submit a revised construction and operation schedule to Congress within 120 days of resolving the liability issue,” Bodman wrote. Tom Clements, a senior adviser with Greenpeace International, praised the Energy Department last week for being “honest” with Congress over delays with the MOX program. “The modus operandi of DOE has been to hide the truth about the MOX program so we welcome a new approach based on honesty.  Perhaps this is a signal that the new secretary will conduct DOE affairs in a way which is more open and accountable to Congress and the taxpayer,” Clements said in a statement. Earlier this week, the National Nuclear Security Administration announced the resignation of Ed Siskin, head of the Office of Fissile Material Disposition, which manages the U.S.-Russian plutonium disposition program. Despite the delays caused by the liability dispute, “significant progress has been made” in moving forward with the MOX program, Bodman wrote. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is expected to issue a construction permit for the MOX production plant next month, both the United States and Russia are expected to begin “full site preparation activities” for their respective MOX plants in May and construction of the facilities is set to begin in 2006, he said in the letter. In addition, an effort to convert a test batch of more than 100 kilograms of U.S. plutonium to MOX fuel at a French facility is proceeding “on schedule” and the fuel is set to be used at a nuclear power plant in South Carolina beginning in May, Bodman wrote. “We have confidence in the entire plutonium disposition program,” NNSA spokesman Bryan Wilkes said Wednesday. Back to top       U.S. Will Back Israel Against Iran, Bush Says U.S. President George W. Bush said yesterday the United States would support Israel if Iran were to develop a nuclear weapon, Agence France-Presse reported (see GSN, Feb. 17). “Iran has made it clear they don’t like Israel, to put it bluntly. And the Israelis are concerned about whether or not Iran develops a nuclear weapon, as are we, as should everybody,” Bush said. “Clearly, if I was the leader of Israel and I’d listened to some of the statements by the Iranian ayatollahs that regarded the security of my country, I’d be concerned about Iran having a nuclear weapon as well.” “And in that Israel is our ally and in that we’ve made a very strong commitment to support Israel, we will support Israel if her security is threatened,” he added. Bush said Iran’s nuclear program would be an important topic of discussion when he visits Europe next week. “The objective is to solve this issue diplomatically — is to work with friends, like we’re doing with France, Germany and Great Britain — to continue making it clear to the Iranians that developing a nuclear weapon will be unacceptable” (Agence France-Presse/SpaceWar.com, Feb. 17). Tehran does not expect negotiations with the European powers to produce a “definitive result” by mid-March, Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi told the German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung, AFP reported. A round of expert-level negotiations is expected in mid-March before a steering committee meets at the end of March to make conclusions, according to AFP. Kharazi said Iran was prepared to continue to negotiate beyond that time “if we feel that the discussions have been positive.” “The Europeans must make some new proposals. We know the Europeans are concerned about our nuclear program. Now the Europeans must actually tell us how we can dispel those concerns.” Iran is looking to follow the Japanese model on nuclear work, Kharazi said. “Japan has no access to atomic weapons, but employs nuclear technology for peaceful uses,” he said (Agence France-Presse/IranMania.com, Feb. 17). Back to top       South Korea Drafting Law on Nuclear Work South Korea is drafting a new law that would consolidate regulations on nuclear experiments and ban any nuclear weapons development, the Korea Times reported yesterday (see GSN, Dec. 16, 2004). The bill is expected to be ready for presentation to the National Assembly in March and would be implemented in September if passed, the Science and Technology Ministry said yesterday. “We decided to beef up nuclear regulations to prevent awkward situations like that of last year from recurring,” said ministry official Ahn Sang-joon, referring to discoveries last year that Seoul conducted unreported experiments to produce plutonium in 1982 and enrich uranium in 2000 (see GSN, Nov. 12, 2004). “Violators of nuclear-related regulations will be subject to severe punishments, including jail terms. We are thinking of introducing a term of life imprisonment for extreme cases,” Ahn said. The law would also contain clauses regarding implementation of the Additional Protocol to the International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards agreement, which South Korea adopted a year ago, according to the Times. Meanwhile, South Korea signed a research agreement earlier this month with the United States for development of a nuclear fuel incapable of being diverted for weapons production, the Times reported (Kim Tae-gyu, Korea Times, Feb. 18). Back to top       Malaysian Prime Minister Rejects Turning Over Key Khan Network Associate to United States Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi yesterday rejected turning over to U.S. authorities a key member of the international nuclear network formerly headed by top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, according to Reuters (see GSN, Feb. 15). Malaysia in May announced the arrest of Sri Lankan resident Buhary Syed Abu Tahir, who is believed to be a middleman in the network used to transfer nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea. Tahir has been held in custody in Malaysia since his arrest. Badawi yesterday said there are no plans to turn Tahir over to the United States for questioning by U.S. investigators of the Khan network, Reuters reported. “Our ... intelligence people like to speak and continue to talk to him. Obviously, there are lot of things we would like to know from him,” Badawi said (Reuters, Feb. 17). Back to top       “Unaccounted For” Plutonium at U.K. Site Result of Measurement System, British Agency Says Independent nuclear auditors have determined that there is little chance that 30 kilograms of plutonium designated as “unaccounted for” has actually been lost from the United Kingdom’s largest civil nuclear facility, the Financial Times reported today (see GSN, Feb. 17). The material received the designation in the latest annual inventory of nuclear materials at the Sellafield nuclear fuel reprocessing plant, operated by British Nuclear Fuels (BNFL). The British Atomic Energy Authority explained the results of the audit as indicative of the “uncertainties inherent in the measurement systems used.” “There is no evidence to suggest that any of the apparent losses reported were real losses of nuclear material,” the agency said. The agency’s findings now need to be confirmed by the European nuclear regulatory agency Euratom, the Times reported (Andrew Taylor, Financial Times, Feb. 18). British Labor Party lawmaker Andrew Mackinlay yesterday called for British Nuclear Fuels to make a statement to Parliament on the matter, according to the London Times. “I don’t think this is good enough. There needs to be a full statement to Parliament if the public are to be reassured,” he said. Meanwhile, a BNFL-convened security group has called for the company and the British Office of Civil Nuclear Security to revise the emergency plan in place for dealing with a terrorist attack or accident at the Sellafield facility, according to the Times. The recommendation was one of 60 included in a report released by the security group, the Times reported. Group member Frank Barnaby, a nuclear scientist, said many of the report’s recommendations could be implemented by increasing resources for the Office of Civil Nuclear Security. “There are particular concerns about the funding for the OCNS. You could say that within the resources they have they are doing their best,” Barnaby said (Angela Jameson, London Times, Feb. 18). Back to top       Nuke Effort a “Dead End” for North Korea, Hill Says The U.S. envoy for North Korean nuclear issues today urged Pyongyang to resume six-party negotiations and called its pursuit of atomic weapons a “dead end,” Reuters reported (see GSN, Feb. 17). U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Christopher Hill said North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons had caused its economy and relations with world powers to suffer. “Holding nuclear weapons is a dead end for North Korea. They cannot make progress if they continue on this road,” Hill said. “The threat to the D.P.R.K. comes from their inability to develop a successful economy. These programs have cost them greatly and contributed to their economic decline,” Hill said. Asked about meetings with Chinese officials yesterday in Beijing, he said, “We are absolutely dedicated to make this process work. There was absolute agreement on the need for North Korea to come back to the process” (Jon Herskovitz, Reuters, Feb. 18). Back to top

Bioterror Laboratory Will Improve Security for Washington, D.C., City Administrator Says A proposed bioterrorism laboratory in Washington would improve city security in case of a biological attack, according to City Administrator Robert Bobb, the Washington Examiner reported today (see GSN, Feb. 11). The Biosafety Level 3 facility would be “a vital tool to monitor public health,” according to remarks Bobb prepared for potential questions on the plan from District of Columbia Council members. “The safeguards and the technology would be better than anything we have today,” according to Bobb’s notes. “Secure storage and use of small quantities of certain strains of select agents are maintained,” the document adds. The document also contradicts previous statements that the laboratory would be constructed on the site of D.C. General Hospital. Officials will identify about 12 possible locations and then narrow those down over time, according to the Examiner. The cost of the project is not yet known, but the city is expected to request the federal government pay 80 percent of the total. A concept design is expected to be completed this summer, with a finalized design to come by the end of the year, according to the Examiner (Michael Neibauer, Washington Examiner, Feb. 18). Back to top

Washington, D.C. Mayor Criticizes Train Rerouting of Hazardous Material Shipments The decision by freight railroad company CSX Corp. to reroute hazardous material shipments from a rail line that passes near the U.S. Capitol to one through northeast Washington increases the risk to city residents, a spokeswoman for the city’s mayor said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 17). CSX said that since April, it has redirected some cars carrying hazardous materials from a north-south rail line to an east-west line that passes through the Brookland and Eckington neighborhoods. New city legislation set to go into effect March 14 would ban those routes, according to the Post. The company’s decision is reminiscent of the 2001 anthrax attacks, when antibiotics were delivered for congressional workers but deferred for postal workers who sorted letters at the Brentwood mail facility, said Sharon Gang, a spokeswoman for Washington Mayor Anthony Williams. “Citizens in Wards 4 and 5 were on the verge of being treated unfairly, in some ways like the Brentwood postal workers, whereas the people downtown or closer to the Capitol were theoretically more protected with the routes that CSX was planning to take,” Gang said. CSX officials said the decision followed the Transportation Security Administration’s conclusions that a terrorist strike on the north-south rail line presented a greater danger than an attack on the east-west line. Arguments on CSX’s request for a preliminary injunction against the new legislation have been scheduled for March 9 in U.S. District Court, according to the Post. The U.S. Transportation Department on Wednesday sent a memo to a regulatory body from which CSX has sought a ruling, saying the new Washington law is pre-empted by federal law, which gives the U.S. government authority to regulate interstate commerce (Spencer Hsu, Washington Post, Feb. 18). Back to top

Missile Defense Not Yet Able To Protect U.S., Rumsfeld Says By David Ruppe Global Security Newswire WASHINGTON — The national missile defense system the Bush administration began fielding in pieces last year presently lacks the capability to defend the United States, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in congressional testimony yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 15). Several comments made by Rumsfeld to the Senate Armed Services Committee indicated the secretary believes that much work remains to be done before the system might be determined effective against ICBMs. “What’s being done here is … deploying the pieces of the capability that will evolve into an early missile defense capability,” he said. The Defense Department’s Missile Defense Agency is in “the early stage of engineering” for “a complex and unprecedented capability,” Rumsfeld said. “We remain committed to produce and deploy a missile defense capability, and the program director has assured us that the key aspects of the program are on track,” he said. Senior officials including Rumsfeld last year vowed to begin deploying a “limited” missile defense capability by the end of the year, as directed by President George W. Bush in 2002. North Korean missile development and suspected nuclear weapons work was cited as a potential threat.  Critics have noted, however, that key sensors might not be developed and deployed for years, requiring the current the use of Global Positioning System locators for tracking target and interceptor missiles during tests. They also have argued that the planned system probably will never be effective because of its complexity and that decoys could easily fool it. “The secretary of defense is simply expressing the technical reality that the system has a long way to go,” said Philip Coyle, a senior adviser at the Center for Defense Information who in the 1990s oversaw testing for the program. “The system has no demonstrated capability to work under realistic operational conditions,” he said. “The secretary’s testimony speaks for itself,” a Pentagon spokesperson said. Rumsfeld made his comments in response to questions from Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.), who asked whether the government was wasting money buying interceptor missiles for a system that might never work. “It seems to me that before we commit to buying dozens of these interceptors, it would be important to have some operationally realistic tests that can demonstrate whether the system will work effectively,” she said. “Would you agree that realistic operational tests could give us confidence in whether the system works effectively, and that if the system does not work effectively, we should not be spending billions of dollars on it?” she said. Rumsfeld noted that the administration proposed cutting the Missile Defense Agency budget from $8.8 billion for this fiscal year to $7.8 billion for fiscal 2006 and said the “program has been generally successful.” He said elements of the system were being fielded so further testing could occur. Limited Capability was Pledged During his re-election campaign last summer, Bush vowed that “components” of the Ground-based Midcourse Defense system would become operational last year, in fulfillment of his 2000 campaign pledge to deploy an “effective” national missile defense system “at the earliest possible date.” As late as last fall U.S. officials said they would field a “limited” capability by the end of 2004. “By the end of this year, we expect to have a limited operational capability against incoming ballistic missiles,” Rumsfeld said at a conference last August (see GSN, Aug. 19). Assistant Secretary of State for Arms Control Stephen Rademaker told reporters in Moscow last October that the system was expected to become operational in “the next few weeks.” The administration in 2003 received congressional funding to install up to 10 interceptor missiles at silos in Alaska and California last year. Intercept tests were put on hold to meet that goal, and the White House later received funding to install 10 more interceptors by the end of 2005. Officials at the same time, however, began to suggest that the planned deployment might not go off as promised, if ever. An initial Oct. 1 deadline for deployment was quietly abandoned and Rumsfeld at the August conference said the administration would not abide by any fixed deadlines for deploying the system. In January, following the first of two recent failed intercept tests of the system, two senior officials suggested the system may never be declared operational (see GSN, Jan. 14).  “I don’t know that such a declaration will ever be made,” said Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita in a press briefing. Both tests failed after the interceptor missiles failed to leave their silos. Both Rumsfeld and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers said yesterday that Missile Defense Agency experts do not believe those failures indicated inherent flaws with the planned system. “The specific player in this case was not due to the missile itself, but due to the hardware that had to get out of the way so the missile could launch out of the silo,” Myers said of the failed flight test earlier this week, according to a transcript. “There was a microswitch that didn’t close, so the hardware came up as part of the silo mechanism. And that will have to be corrected.  But, as the secretary said, they don’t think that is systemic,” he said. Clinton said the administration is fielding components of the system “regardless of whether we have any successful tests, for whatever reason, whether it was computer errors in getting the silo open, or other more serious errors. We’re still committed to deploying a system that has not proven it can work.” Rumsfeld said components were being fielded, in part, to test the system. The approach, he said, is “to get it in the ground in a modest way, work the problem, keep testing, and as that capability evolves, you will begin to have the early stages of a missile defense capability.” “We’re at least on a track to have that capability in the period ahead, assuming we can continue to work out the kinks and the difficulties,” he said. Back to top

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