Bush's $85 Million Dollar FUBAR

[rpm]

source

Test Failure Sets Back U.S. Missile Defense Plan
Wed Dec 15, 2004 05:43 PM ET
By Jim Wolf
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush's drive to deploy a multibillion-dollar shield against ballistic missiles was set back on Wednesday by what critics called a stunning failure of its first full flight test in two years.

The abortive $85 million exercise raised fresh questions about the reliability of the first elements of the plan, an heir to former president Ronald Reagan's vision of an space-based missile defense that critics dubbed "Star Wars."

The interceptor missile never left its silo at Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific Ocean, shutting itself down automatically because of an "anomaly" of unknown origin, the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency said.

About 16 minutes earlier, a target missile had been fired from Kodiak, Alaska, in what was to have been a fly-by test chiefly designed to gather data on new hardware, software and engagement angles, said Richard Lehner, a spokesman.

For instance, a booster built by Orbital Sciences Corp. was to have been exercised for the first time in the way it would actually be fielded. One of the test's goals was to show it was ready for production.

"Obviously it isn't," said Philip Coyle, who was the Pentagon's chief weapons tester under President Bill Clinton, "and now they also will have to fix the boosters that have been installed in silos in Alaska and Vandenberg" Air Force Base, California.

DOUBTS ABOUT SYSTEM

The Pentagon plans to spend more than $50 billion over the next five years on all aspects of missile defense, aiming to weave in airborne, ship- and space-based assets. The system that failed on Wednesday is known as the ground-based midcourse system, or GMD. By some estimates, the Pentagon has already spent $130 billion on missile defense efforts.

Despite widespread doubts among physicists about the technical readiness of the system, Bush had sought to have a rudimentary capability against North Korean missiles on alert by the end of this month.

"We say to those tyrants who believe they can blackmail America and the free world - you fire, we're going to shoot it down," he said at a campaign stop in Ridley, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 17.

But all eight of the system's intercept tests, the last of which failed in December 2002, have fallen far short of replicating realistic war scenarios, experts inside and outside the government have said. Of the total, five have succeeded in highly scripted conditions, never at night or in severe weather.

Wade Boese, research director of the Arms Control Association, a private Washington-based group that favors reduced spending on the project, said: "The more one thinks about the test, the more incredible it is that it failed."

"The Pentagon had two years essentially to prepare ... and publicly described it in a way to guard against any chance that it could be deemed a failure," he said.

Unlike the botched mission early Wednesday, the last full flight test had as its chief goal to shoot down its target. It misfired on Dec. 11, 2002, when the warhead -- a "kill vehicle" meant to obliterate a mock warhead by slamming into it -- failed to separate from its booster rocket.

Neither the Missile Defense Agency nor the Pentagon responded to questions about the failure's impact on the deployment timetable.

Boeing Co., the Pentagon's prime contractor on the project, referred comment to the Missile Defense Agency.

[Orlick]

I having the trouble to understand:(

Why rocket have be smart enough to find nuclare bomb rocket in air? Rocket only have be smart enough to find Southi Arabia, and Southi Arabia not even flying in air??!!

How many dollar to make rocket to hit Southi Arabia? If too expensive, I have the cousin with license for the real aeroplane--he say he will throw the nuclare bomb in bookbag from the window when flying. He say only needing money for the bookbag--$29.95.

Oh yes, he needing nuclare bomb as well too, and the dollars for gas. The rest he do.

When he return, he requesting one night with the Rene Zellwinger--large, shiny-face actoress from the Rene Zellwinger character Diary movie.

[oboe]

"We say to those tyrants who believe they can blackmail America and the free world - you fire, we're going to shoot it down," he said at a campaign stop in Ridley, Pennsylvania, on Aug. 17.

This kind of rhetoric, to which Bush seems to be prone, does not make us safer.   Its the same "bring it on" mentality we saw early on in the Iraq invasion.   I wouldn't fault him so much if he was taking the same chances as the people he puts in harm's way.

$85 million is pocket change anyway.    $10 billion annually on this program is a hefty sum, at least to me, but we already spent more than $450 billion/year than we take in, so its small potatos.   Besides, its borrowed money - not like its real or anything, right?

[Holden McGroin]

It is the policy of the United States to deploy as soon as is technologically possible an effective National Missile Defense system capable of defending the territory of the United States against limited ballistic missile attack (whether accidental, unauthorized, or deliberate) with funding subject to the annual authorization of appropriations and the annual appropriation of funds for National Missile Defense.

--National Missile Defense Act of 1999  (Public Law 106-38)  

[mora]

The only way to make it work is to go Russian and use nuclear warheads in the intercepting missiles.

[storch]

Thanks Holden, I was going to say wasn't this latest round of missile defensism a Clintonian initiative?  Liberals, pfffft.  My my what short attention spans.  It's a damn shame the test failed just the same.  In a few years when the bugs are ironed out of the system and we have a reliable system operating, further reducing our need to deploy our young people into harm's way these same misguided libertines will have something else to "chicken little" us about.  It's genetically coded.  They can't help it.  Why not move to europe and leave America to the free and the brave?

[Nilsen]

isnt the chanse of a suitcase bomb beeing brought in a far bigger real threat?

A nation that sends a missile agains america or any other place will be identified witin seconds, and the leaders of that nation will have to much to lose by doing so.

Money is better spent on technology and manpower to check shipping containers and other means of transportation + intel.

Dont remember the figures, but the ammount of goods that are actually checked when arriving to america is very very low.

[mora]

Of course their ultimate goal is a defence against Russians.

[TheDudeDVant]

I would have to agree with Nilsen..

[oboe]

Nilsen's point makes way too much sense.

Reagan, Bush, Clinton - it doens't matter.   Spending money like trailer trash with a new credit card is not a sign of strength or intelligence.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by rpm
Bush's $85 Million Dollar FUBAR

Originally posted by Holden McGroin
It is the policy of the United States to deploy as soon as is technologically possible an effective National Missile Defense system capable of defending the territory of the United States against limited ballistic missile attack (whether accidental, unauthorized, or deliberate) with funding subject to the annual authorization of appropriations and the annual appropriation of funds for National Missile Defense.

--National Missile Defense Act of 1999 (Public Law 106-38)

[lazs2]

what do these suitcase bombs look like and how many people have em?

lazs

[AKS\/\/ulfe]

They look like seagulls, and millions of people have them.
-SW

[Nilsen]

Originally posted by lazs2
what do these suitcase bombs look like and how many people have em?

lazs

Hehe, I don't think you are the only one wanting to know that, but one can asume that they may...... or may not be suitcase shaped thingies with buttons and stuff.

[lazs2]

Are they like a carry on or like a steamer trunk or....as SW says... likek seagulls?   How many people you know have one nilesen?  I don't know anyone who has one...

Apparently they are very stealthy tho since we have never cautght anyone with one in our country.

lazs