GAO Releases Critical Missile Defense Report

The U.S. General Accounting Office today released a report criticizing the Defense Department for planning to field the national missile defense system with immature and untested technology (see GSN, Sept. 23).

U.S. President George W. Bush wants to field a national missile defense system, based in Alaska and California, by September 2004.

The report said that Bush’s plan is “dependent on 10 critical technologies,” and the Missile Defense Agency “has accepted higher cost and schedule risks by beginning integration … before these technologies have matured.”

The report singled out the missile defense system’s radar as “the least mature.”

In a response to the report, the Pentagon said that it is attempting to test the radar before the missile system is fielded.

“MDA is considering the addition of an integrated flight test prior to September 30, 2004, that would prove-out the upgrades that are underway to the Cobra Dane radar at Shemya, Alaska.  However, the lead time for adding radar tests with dedicated targets is considerable,” the Pentagon response said (General Accounting Office report, Sept. 24).

Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), who requested the report, said the agency must test the radar before it is deployed.  Akaka said that tracking a foreign missile test with U.S. radar equipment will not prove the technology in an intercept situation.

“MDA hopes that it will get advance notice of a foreign missile test — presumably by North Korea or Russia — and then has time to turn on its hopefully installed software.  Even that type of test will not demonstrate Cobra Dane’s capability under stressful, operational conditions.  Relying on North Korea or Russian missile development to test our defense is a new approach to operational testing,” Akaka said (Akaka release, Sept. 23).

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MDA Does Not Plan to Test Missile Defense Radar Before Deployment

The U.S. Defense Department is on track to field its national missile defense system next year with an untested radar, according to an unreleased General Accounting Office report (see GSN, Aug. 21).

Defense officials have said they do not have enough money to integrate the radar into two missile intercept tests set to take place before the overall system is fielded (see GSN, April 18).  Some lawmakers are concerned, however, that an untested radar could render the system useless.

“If the radar does not work, the system will not be able to intercept incoming missiles,” said Senator Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), who requested the report.

Raytheon produced the Cobra Dane radar, which is currently based in Alaska to gather data on Russian missiles.  The Pentagon is adding software to enhance the radar’s ability to track missiles for the new defense system, but the GAO said that capability should first be tested (see GSN, Dec. 18, 2002).

The Missile Defense Agency “does not plan to demonstrate through integrated flight tests whether the radar’s software can process and communicate data on the location of enemy missiles in ‘real time,’” the report says.

The Cobra Dane radar is set to be assisted by a less advanced early warning radar in California, sea-based radar on Navy vessels, ground-based Army missile radars and the current fleet of U.S. early warning satellites, according to MDA spokesman Rick Lehner (Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg.com, Sept. 22).

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U.S. Forces in South Korea Display PAC-3 Interceptor Batteries

U.S. forces in South Korea yesterday displayed new Patriot Advanced Capability 3 interceptor batteries about 50 miles south of the North Korean border, according to the Washington Times (see GSN, Sept. 16).

The U.S. military currently has four PAC-3 batteries and four PAC-2 batteries deployed in South Korea, the Times reported.  The PAC-3 battery can carry up to 16 interceptors, while a PAC-2 launcher can only carry four interceptors (Washington Times, Sept. 19).

North Korea yesterday criticized the PAC-3 upgrade, calling the move “preparations for pre-emptive strikes” against Pyongyang.

“If the United States wants to resolve the nuclear problem peacefully, it must stop the war preparations and change its hostile policy on the D.P.R.K.,” the North Korean state-run television said.  “The U.S. arms buildup in South Korea is creating a stumbling block to resolving the nuclear problem as it is dangerous war preparation to increase tensions on the Korean peninsula,” it said (Agence France-Presse/Yahoo!News, Sept. 19).

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