US Missile Defense System: Most Expensive Fraud of the Century

The US Missile Defense System, a stumbling block in Russia-American bilateral relations, may prove to be the most expensive fraud of the present century. American physicists claim that the system has not been created as yet. They warned US President Barack Obama about it prior to his visit to Russia.

Photo: US Missile Defense System: Most Expensive Fraud of the Century

Several days before his visit to Russia, the US president received a letter, signed by 20 leading American physicist, including 10 Nobel laureates. The scientists, participating in hundreds of military projects, urged Obama to forgo the plans to deploy elements of the US missile defense system in Europe.

The missiles, they wrote, had not been adequately tested as yet, nor had they demonstrated their performance capabilities in real attack conditions. The scientists consider that the planned missile defense system is unable to guarantee defense against a real attack.

Theodore Postol, a Professor of Science, Technology, and International Security at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology claimed that the plans to create several missile defense zones failed as early as in 1997 after the IFT-1A (code name) tests. Eleven objects - one target missile and ten deception targets (hot air balloons) - were launched from an army base in the Pacific Ocean. The target identification system proved to be incapable of distinguishing between the balloons and the ballistic missile.

The next test, which was conducted in October 1999, also failed. The Pentagon had to admit that interceptor missile hit a balloon once again.

In January 2000, an interceptor missile failed to hit the target due to malfunctions in the sensory system. The same results were achieved in 2001 and 2007, the scientist added.

The US military authorities knew about the negative results of the tests. However, trying to prove the effectiveness of the new missile defense system, the military resorted to fraud.

At first, the military launched two targets instead of 11: a target missile and a balloon. After the interceptor failed to hit this target, the Pentagon resolved to do the falsification. The balloon launched during the last test was huge, the scientist said.

Moreover, during the recent tests the data of the dimensions and the temperature of the deception targets were programmed into the interceptor missile control module. The effort did not help either.

The scientist stressed out that he accused the Pentagon of negligence and lack of competence. Meeting with the US deputy defense secretaries he realized that they even were unaware of what was going on at the Missile Defense Agency.

The USA has no missile defense system at the moment. The Bush administration planned to deploy 46 interceptors in Alaska, although, the latter decision was to install only 30. All other interceptors should undergo testing as even the US military administration is not sure of their reliability, Theodore Postol claimed.

Dr. Postol told journalists that the physicists had not received a reply to their letter from the White House. The Obama administration will unlikely be hasty with the answer, the scientist believes. The Missile Defense Agency chief executives and high-ranking politicians from Washington seem to realize that they have found themselves in a dead-locked situation.

Novy Region

Also read: US to review the whole question of missile defense