The simulated North Korean missile intercept was a success. The MSM down played this result because the intercepted warhead did not deploy countermeasures to prevent interception. I can not understand why anyone would be against a missile intercept program. This weapons system is entirely defensive in nature. The fact that it may not work 100% of the time is a very poor argument. Do you fail to fasten your car seat belt because it may not save your life 100% of the time if you were in an automobile accident? Even if a missile intercept program only gave us a 25% chance of stopping a nuclear missile attack, it would be well worth the cost. When the stakes are hundreds of thousands of lives and the poisoning of our environment for decades, the government is responsible to take every precaution possible.
U.S. hails missile shield test but doubts remain
Fri Dec 5, 2008 7:44pm EST
By Andrew Gray
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Friday it conducted a successful test of its missile defense system, but the target failed to deploy measures that experts said could have helped it avoid destruction.
The test took place as the Pentagon braces for more scrutiny of the program after President-elect Barack Obama, a Democrat, takes office in January. The system, which officials say is to defend against states such as North Korea and Iran, is a flagship policy of the Republican Bush administration.
In Friday's test, a target missile was fired from Kodiak, Alaska, and its warhead was destroyed 124 miles above the Pacific Ocean by a "kill vehicle" that detached from an interceptor missile fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.
"It was the largest, most complex test we have ever done," said U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Patrick O' Reilly, the head of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency.
However, the 40-year-old target missile failed...
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