FEASIBILITY: NMD CANNOT HIT THE TARGET

HIT TO KILL TECHNOLOGY HAS FAILED IN DEMONSTRATION TESTS

Joseph L. Galloway; U.S. News & World Report March 29, 1999 ; Pg. 30, 32 HEADLINE: Seeking a silver bullet // lnu-acs

Recent tests of hit-to-kill technology are hardly encouraging. The technology assumes the equivalent of one fast-flying bullet hitting another bullet.

WE DO NOT HAVE THE TECH TO "HIT A BULLET WITH A BULLET"

"The simple fact is that we do not yet have the technology to field a national missile defense. We have, in fact, put some $40 billion into the program over the last 10 years. But today we do not technologically have a bullet that can hit a bullet."

Interview with Gen. Henry H. Shelton, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Sea Power Magazine, February 1999

NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE IS LIKE HITTING A BULLET WITH A BULLET, AND IT CAN'T BE DONE

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel May 25, 1999 SECTION: News Pg. 14 HEADLINE: Missile defense no more than a delusion // lnu-acs

Moreover, while "Star Wars" envisioned lasers and nuclear warheads to shoot down incoming missiles, the new program foresees interceptors to destroy missiles simply by colliding with them in outer space.

One problem is, it is fiendishly difficult to arrange such a collision: It is like hitting a bullet with a bullet. Thus far, the U.S. has spent more than $100 billion attempting to develop a missile shield, without success.

TECHNOLOGY BASED ON HEAT SEEKING IS INHERENTLY FLAWED

Joseph L. Galloway; U.S. News & World Report March 29, 1999 ; Pg. 30, 32 HEADLINE: Seeking a silver bullet // lnu-acs

What chance is there that the new system will work, even in the case of a small missile launch out of Russia or North Korea? Clinton has asked for some $ 10.5 billion in funding, and Senate Republicans say they're prepared to spend "as much money as is necessary" to deploy a system that will work. But that doesn't mean much, say critics of the missile-defense idea. John Pike of the Federation of American Scientists, a leading missile-defense expert and critic, said, "They haven't been able to get these things to work. One big problem they face is that the critical technology--using heat-seeking sensors to intercept missiles--has a terrible track record. There have been 15 hit-to-kill tests since the 1980s. In only two did the test interceptors hit something."