U.S. poised to deploy weapons system despite few real tests

Posted on Thu, Nov. 04, 2004
U.S. poised to deploy weapons system despite few real tests

BY MICHAEL CABBAGE
The Orlando Sentinel

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In fact, the United States is poised to activate one of the most complex weapons systems ever built after only eight attempts to intercept a missile, three of which were failures. In comparison, the mothballed Safeguard defense was declared operational after 70 intercept attempts, which included 58 successes.

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"This is like deploying a new military aircraft that doesn't have wings or a tail or a landing gear and without any testing to see if it will work," said Philip Coyle, director of the Pentagon's office of weapons testing and evaluation from 1994 to 2001. "It's completely unprecedented."

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A devastating report by Coyle's office in 2000 - made public despite the Pentagon's objections the next year - detailed the scripted, unrealistic test program for the new long-range missile defense. Four years later, with the system on the verge of being declared operational, little has changed.

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"I can look pretty smart if you give me the answers to a test in advance," said Coyle, now a senior adviser for the Center for Defense Information. "If you want to find what I really know, start asking me questions to which I haven't been told the answers. Missile defense is no different."

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Federal law requires weapons systems undergo independent operational testing before entering "full-rate production." Missile-defense proponents have evaded this requirement by claiming some parts of the overall system are still in development. While the interceptors in Alaska are on the verge of being deployed, other components, such as sophisticated new missile-tracking satellites, are still being designed. Critics, including U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., contend the pieces clearly are separate systems. He considers the rationale a smoke screen designed to circumvent "fly before you buy" laws.
In a June 9 letter to acting Pentagon acquisition chief Michael Wynne, Levin charged the system in Alaska violates the law because the interceptors have entered "full-rate production" without being operationally tested.

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There is growing concern the root of the problem is a new Pentagon policy for fielding missile-defense systems that was mandated by the Bush administration in 2002. Under this so-called "capabilities-based" approach, new systems are rushed into the field as soon as they appear to be useful. Then, through a process dubbed "spiral development," they are continually refined using new engineering and feedback from soldiers. No longer must a system meet a list of hard-and-fast requirements before it is deployed.

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http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/10097774.htm

the death star wasn't operationaL yet!

I think it was called the Maginot line. The germans flew over it. There isn't a damn thing we can do about it now but laugh at them. Next I expect them to go on TV and tell us how we are now protected for nuclear attack and the fools will sleep better.

Lied to the American public about it, it can't hit the bullseye on the dead deers ass, and unless we control everything about the "uncontrolled" tests, it never works. Deploy it!!!!

Sort of a metaphor for moron, isn't it?

when this thing appears in an appropriations bill, then should offer up an amendment to give it additional money. The now "budget accountable" republicans will have to vote that amendment down. Then we can nail them for voting to cut our critical missile defense system, protecting our children from all those incoming ICBMs.

boy isn't this going to be fun

went just fine. That's the only thing that matters with this useless system.

What's driving our Pentagon policy now is pork barrel for the big contributors to the Republican party - not defense of the country. If the issue was defense, we would be putting things like body armor for our troops and armored humvees first.

Actually, we would be putting things like health care and benefits for our soldiers and their families first. That would let us retain the really good specialists and noncoms that really do most of the work in the military!:mad:

has command of the battlefield. We are to own space and it's all part of the plan. We will be able to threaten anyone who challenges us.
Game, Set, Match.

"bad" one away, with all the "bad" people in one fell swoop.

... 'cos given the proven accuracy and reliability of this wonderful
"missile defence system" there isn't a snowball's chance in hell that
it will hit its target in time for it to do any good ...

Bring it on!

:hi:

This system will never, ever work. It's like trying to shoot a bullet with another bullet.

Maybe if we had 1,000 of these sites operational we could stop one missile, but I even doubt that.

Let the looting of the treasury begin in full!

and a monumental waste of money.

1. Would you ever trust this system to protect your wife and children in the event of a missile attack?

2. Would you be willing to pay $5,000 of your own money today to finance this system.