GAO says Pentagon missile defence schedule is too risky

The US General Accounting Office (GAO) believes that the tight schedule set for a decision on whether to deploy a national defence network against ballistic-missile attack carries an unacceptable risk.

The US Department of Defence plans to decide in 2000 whether to field initial elements of the national missile-defence (NMD) system three years later. The NMD would consist of: space-based and ground-based early-warning sensors; ground-based radars to identify and track warheads; ground- based interceptors to attack the threats; and a battle-management command-and-control system.

The GAO says that the Pentagon faces "significant challenges" in the NMD project since the schedule requires a large number of activities to be completed in a relatively short time, and before a prime NMD contractor is selected in the middle of this year.

The GAO also believes that the Pentagon will find it difficult to field an initial NMD system in six years "given its past history with other weapon systems".

Source: Flight International