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National Missile Defense: A hot issue for Bush
George W Bush is determined to deploy a missile defense system to protect the United States, but he must overcome technical and financial constraints and the Opposition of European allies, Russia and China.
George W Bush is determined to deploy a missile defense system to protect the United States, but he must overcome technical and financial constraints and the Opposition of European allies, Russia and China.
Outgoing President Bill Clinton hesitated, leaving to his successor the decision whether or not to deploy a National Missile Defense (NMD) system.
Unlike Ronald Reagan's more ambitious Star Wars Project, the missile shield currently under development is limited in scope: It would intercept only a handful of missiles fired at us territory by rogue states like North Korea, Iraq or Iran.
Clinton, who judged the threat to be real and growing said he did not have enough confidence in the system's reliability to give the go ahead: only one of the first three intercept attempts succeeded.
But since his campaign for the presidency, Bush has promised not only to go forward, but to deploy an expanded system capable of covering Europe and Israel as well as the United States against a missile attack.
Donald Rumsfeld, his tough but pragmatic new defense secretary, has defended NMD while showing some flexibility.
There's no question but that I think that we should deploy a missiles defense system when it's technologically possible and effective, He said last week at his senate confirmation hearing.
The Pentagon says construction of a NMD radar on Shemya Island in Alaska must be approved by march if the land-based system currently under development is to be ready for deployment by 2005. It seems unlikely bush will be ready to approve deployment by then.
Clinton, who judged the threat to be real and growing said he did not have enough confidence in the system's reliability to give the go ahead: only one of the first three intercept attempts succeeded.
But since his campaign for the presidency, Bush has promised not only to go forward, but to deploy an expanded system capable of covering Europe and Israel as well as the United States against a missile attack.
Donald Rumsfeld, his tough but pragmatic new defense secretary, has defended NMD while showing some flexibility.
There's no question but that I think that we should deploy a missiles defense system when it's technologically possible and effective, He said last week at his senate confirmation hearing.
The Pentagon says construction of a NMD radar on Shemya Island in Alaska must be approved by march if the land-based system currently under development is to be ready for deployment by 2005. It seems unlikely bush will be ready to approve deployment by then.
Bureau Report