Reasons to Oppose Star Wars, #2: Missile Defense Does Not Work And Will Not Protect Us

Of the 21 rudimentary "exo-atmospheric" missile intercept tests conducted since 1990 - the three frequently cited National Missile Defense tests were the last of these - a total of 16 have failed.¹ An August 2000 study written by former Pentagon Director of Operational Testing Philip E. Coyle asserted that even the apparent successes were staged: in the "successful" intercept missile test of October, 1999, for instance, a Global Positioning System inside the mock warhead served as a homing device to guide the interceptor to it.²

The study, which Pentagon officials have attempted to suppress, also states that the tests have been "unrealistic," noting that none of the tests have used the types of sophisticated decoys likely in a real attack, and that a test involving multiple targets has not even been scheduled. The study concluded that due to the unrealistic testing and mounting number of failures, a system could not reasonably be deployed by 2005, a year after the Bush Administration is considering deploying one.

Even if a rudimentary system could be developed many years down the road, the race to overcome or circumvent it would already be under way, and the whole thing could become obsolete within a few years, or possibly only months after it's deployed.

For these same reasons, 50 Nobel Laureates signed a letter on July 6, 2000 stating that a missile defense system "would offer little protection and do grave harm to the nation's core security interests."

The ultimate irony of this testing is that ballistic missiles are by far the least likely way that any "rogue" nation would attack the U.S, because they are very expensive, extremely difficult to build, and insure certain and cataclysmic retaliation by the U.S. since their point of origin is easily detected. So even if a Star Wars missile system could be made to work, it would still not protect us from the most likely threats, which would come from weapons delivered via ship, truck or suitcase.

¹Testimony of Joseph Cirincione, Director, Non-Proliferation Project, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace before the Committee on Government Reform, Subcommittee on National Security, Veteran Affairs and International security, September 8, 2000.

²Director Operational Test and Evaluation Report in support of National Missile Defense Deployment Readiness Review, August 10, 2000.