June 13, 2005 :: Washington Post :: News
An independent panel chartered by the Pentagon has concluded that the “rush to deploy” a national missile defense system at Fort Greely, Alaska, led to shortfalls in quality controls and engineering procedures, reports The Washington Post. Although the report contains no mention of any fundamental flaws in the system’s design, it argues that recent flight-test failures stemmed from the Pentagon’s preoccupation with deadlines. According to the panel, the “rush to deploy” resulted in insufficient ground tests, a lack of specifications and standards, and a tendency to postpone the resolution of bothersome issues. The panel’s recommendation is that the Pentagon “reorient the program” to place greater emphasis on verification and reliability, thus making successful testing “the primary objective.” In the future, the program should “be event-driven rather than schedule-driven.”
The panel’s conclusions notwithstanding, it is important to remember the Bush administration’s justification for deploying these interceptors: to defend the U.S. against a potential missile attack by North Korea. In recent years, North Korea has acquired the capability to launch long-range missiles at the U.S., which could be armed with nuclear, chemical, or biological warheads. Faced with this threat, the Bush administration was correct to pursue a limited missile defense, rather than leave the U.S. completely vulnerable to attack. (Article)
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