Missile Defense Shield won't work: per 76-page report of Scientist Group

[Sandpiper]

The only time this multi-billion dollar snake oil has worked is when the tests were rigged.

Bush wants to give a $53 billion dollar subsidy for his friends in the Military Industrial Complex for a shield that doesn't actually protect us from anything. Anyway...

Top Stories - Reuters


U.S. Missile Shield Won't Work: Scientist Group

Thu May 13,10:02 AM ET Add Top Stories - Reuters to My Yahoo!


By Jim Wolf

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The multibillion-dollar U.S. ballistic missile shield due to start operating by Sept. 30 appears incapable of shooting down any incoming warheads, an independent scientists' group said on Thursday.

A technical analysis found "no basis for believing the system will have any capability to defend against a real attack," the Union of Concerned Scientists said in a 76-page report titled Technical Realities.

The Pentagon (news - web sites)'s Missile Defense Agency rejected the report.

"It will provide a defense against incoming missiles for the first time in this country's history," said Richard Lehner, an agency spokesman.

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http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040513/ts_nm/arms_missile_usa_dc_2

[jobendorfer]

1. missile defense is the perfect business to be in

if you're looking for a no-lose situation.

Scenario 1: you get paid to build a missile defense, and no
attack ever comes. You make a lot of money.

Scenario 2: you get paid to build a missile defense, some-
body attacks us, and the system works. You make a lot of
money, and hey, you're a hero.

Scenario 3: you get paid to build a missile defense, some-
body attacks us, and the system fails. You die, everybody
dies (it's *so* depressing) ... but in the meantime, hey,
you made a shitload of money.

I didn't come up with this, BTW. This is from an engineering
manager I used to work for, who had managed part of an SDI
project back in the late 80s.

I can only speak to the aspects of anti-missile defense where
I have some experience (software development). The software
needed even for a "point" defense is very complicated.
The software industry's track record on large scale projects
is not encouraging, particularly in terms of reliability
(case in point: this is the 4th reboot on this Windows machine
today.)

J.

[northofdenali]

2. No shit. And it's being built

90 miles from my house!