• Forum
• SITREP
• Military
• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security

• Space

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Public Eye

DATE=7/8/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=ANTI-MISSILE TEST UPDATE (L)
NUMBER=2-264190
BYLINE=JIM RANDLE
DATELINE=PENTAGON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT: 
INTRO: Pentagon Officials say the U-S National Missile 
Defense system missed its target in a critical test 
Saturday Morning. The failure may give new ammunition 
to critics who say the 60-billion dollar system won't 
work.  V-O-A's Jim Randle reports.
TEXT: Frustrated scientists say the problem came in 
what they thought was a tried-and-true piece of 
equipment - the booster rocket.
The head of the Ballistic Missile Defense 
Organization, General Ronald Kadish, says something 
went wrong with the signal that was supposed to tell 
the rocket to release the `kill vehicle.'  
The kill vehicle is the spacecraft that is supposed to 
track a warhead, and then destroy it by running into 
it.   But, stuck to the booster, it never got anywhere 
close to the target, and eventually fell into the sea.
///  Kadish act   ///
What it tells me is we have more engineering work to 
do.  And as we've said all along, this is a very 
difficult, challenging job, this is rocket science.
///  end act ///
A majority of members of the U-S Congress say the 
system is needed to counter North Korean missiles that 
may be capable of hitting the United States by the 
year 2005.
Missile defense supporters say the threat of massive 
U-S nuclear retaliation might not be enough to 
persuade leaders in North Korea or other "states of 
concern" not to strike the United States.
Engineers say in order to meet the 2005 deadline, 
decisions must be made in a few months, and 
construction must get under way early next year.
President Clinton says he will use information from 
this test to decide if the United States should begin 
construction.  Whoever is elected in November to 
succeed Mr. Clinton will get information from further 
tests and updated assessments of the threat from North 
Korea and other nations to decide if the program 
should continue.
The missile defense plan prompted criticism from peace 
groups, Nobel Prize-winning scientists and the 
governments of Russia and China.
Moscow says the missile defense system could ignite a 
new, expensive and dangerous arms race. (Signed).
NEB/JR/PLM 
08-Jul-2000 04:05 AM EDT (08-Jul-2000 0805 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
.