US Defense Secretary Delays Recommendation on Missile DefenseUS Defense Secretary William Cohen announced Monday that he would delay his recommendation to President Clinton on whether to build the national missile defense (NMD) system.The Pentagon's assessment of how and when to move forward with the system will take several weeks longer than planned, Cohen said. "A number of difficult issues remain to be resolved," Cohen said in a brief written statement Monday. The issues include whether the rocket booster to be used for the antimissile system can be ready for full-scale production by 2003. Another issue is whether the Pentagon should go ahead with the next flight test of the antimissile system as scheduled for this fall after the July 7 test failure. "I will make no recommendation about the future of the NMD program until I have analyzed their findings," Cohen said. "I expect that to happen and to report to the president within the next few weeks." Officials here said Cohen, who previously indicated that he would make the recommendation by mid-August, is unlikely to do so until early September. The NMD system is widely opposed by the international community including Russia and China as it might trigger a new round of global arms race. |
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