Ronald Reagan’s ‘Star Wars’ Project Still Hasn’t Met Original Goal 30 Years Later
By Agence France-Presse
Thursday, May 23, 2013 10:43 EDT
Three decades after Ronald Reagan launched his “Star Wars” project, the costly missile defense program has become a pillar of US strategy despite lingering doubts about its technology.
No longer designed to counter a Soviet nuclear attack, the anti-missile network is supposed to thwart a “limited attack” from North Korea or Iran. But numerous experts question if the system even works.
While Reagan’s blueprint provoked bitter debate in the 1980s, today’s program is now firmly entrenched in Washington. The project, however, still requires a daunting technical feat — to hit a ballistic missile travelling outside the atmosphere with another missile.
--CLIP
“We do have confidence in the ability of the ballistic missile defense system to defend the United States against a limited attack from both North Korea and Iran today and in the near future,” Lieutenant General Richard Formica, commander of US Army space and missile defense command, told lawmakers this month.
The US Missile Defense Agency says the SM-3 interceptors — the same weapons used for NATO’s anti-missile shield — have scored hits in 25 of 30 tests, though ground-based interceptors have failed in their last two tests.
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http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/05/23/ronald-reagans-star-wars-project-still-hasnt-met-original-goal-30-years-later/
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