Trust Us: It Will Work

By MARK THOMPSON

Plans for a $100 billion shield to protect the U.S. against missile attacks from terrorists or rogue states like North Korea are moving full speed ahead. But budget concerns may force a sharp cutback in tests to make sure that the system works. The Pentagon plan originally called for 20 tests by 2009 to prove that a new fleet of interceptor rockets could find and destroy missiles fired toward the U.S. But a revised testing scheme to be delivered to Congress this summer--and outlined in budget documents circulating on Capitol Hill--cuts back that schedule to only nine test shots. That comes in spite of the fact that the shield has performed successfully in only five of eight tests conducted so far. Pentagon officials insist they have learned so much from those tests that carrying out all 20 would be a waste of money. They say the program remains on track to begin defending the nation by the fall of 2004--just before the next presidential election. --By Mark Thompson