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US Defense Official Warns of Stricter Standards of NMD Test
Director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization of the US Defense Department warned government and industry representatives Wednesday to expect higher standards of testing the controversial National Missile Defense (NMD) system.
Speaking at a space and missile defense conference in Huntsville of Alabama, Ronald Kadish said there will be "more robust, difficult and realistic testing" than in the past.
"We cannot make a long-term commitment" to a national missile defense system "until we know that we are on the right path," Kadish said. "I will be ruthless in the pursuit of the highest standards of quality and reliability," he warned.
The latest missile defense test on July 14 over the Pacific scored almost a direct hit, but the success came after the Pentagon had failed two out of three previous tries.
The next test, set for October, will revisit the same scenario, wherein the missile will contend with a lone decoy in its pursuit of its target.
Responding to critics who say the tests are unrealistic, Kadish said last week the Pentagon plans to introduce more " countermeasures" in future tests. Three tests are planned for fiscal year 2002.
On Tuesday, Pam Bain, a spokeswoman for the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, said the Pentagon has given the green light for construction preparation work to start on a missile defense test site in Alaska this month.
Clearing the ground for the test base represents a key step in the Bush administration's plan to develop and deploy a missile defense system over bitter opposition from the international community.
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