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Ballistic Missile Defense
Related Resources (government documents and letters)
POGO Files
Army Missile Program Dependent on Flawed Contractor Plan Requirements Shortfalls Could Result in Weapon "Of Little Value"
February 12, 2008
Portions of the Pentagon's Department of Operational Test and Evaluation 2003 Annual Report
April 16, 2004
POGO Opposes "Buy Now, Fix Later" Approach to Ballistic Missile Defense: Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing March 18th
March 17, 2003
Big Dreams Still Need Oversight: Missile Defense Testing and Accountability are Being Circumvented The Department of Defense is cutting testing requirements and financial oversight of the missile defense program, one of the most technologically challenging and expensive Pentagon weapons programs ever. History has demonstrated that cutting-edge defense initiatives, lacking oversight, will lead to cost overruns and ultimately to the production of weapons that don't work. On the other hand, experience also indicates that adding independent oversight to the mix yields a winning formula. The office of the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) has played an integral role over the years in the successes of defense programs, providing independent advice and structure in the developmental stages to pre-empt costly post-production modifications. DOT&E was elemental in bringing an end to an era of costly Defense embarrassments that included the B-1 Bomber, the C-5 Cargo Jet, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle, and the Sergeant York Gun. And yet, according to a January 2002 defense directive issued by Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the new Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is exempted from DOT&E oversight during those early stages where its contributions have meant the most. At the same time, missile defense contracts are eligible for "other transactions" status which enables them to bypass the normal procurement contract requirements in favor of virtually unregulated acquisition. Denied the security of testing requirements and financial oversight protections that have traditionally been guaranteed, the nation is in danger of buying a weapons system that doesn't work, at an alarming cost.
July 16, 2002
Related Resources
Missile Defense Agency responds to the Coast Guard's SBX concerns
,
December 20, 2006
Missile Radar Idling in Hawaii: Defense experts have concerns about design of X-Band vessel
By Kirsten Scharnberg, Chicago Tribune
August 27, 2006
SBX-1 Operational Suitability and Viability Assessment
,
June 2, 2006
Accountability Office Finds Itself Accused
By William J. Broad, The New York Times
April 2, 2006
Subrata Ghoshroy's letter to Representative Howard Berman
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December 19, 2005
CRS Report for Congress - Missile Defense: The Current Debate
, Congressional Research Service
July 19, 2005
U.S. Missile Defense Needs System Trials, Tester Says
By Tony Capaccio, Bloomberg.com
November 2, 2004
DoD Programs: Ballistic Missile Defense System
Pentagon, Operational Test and Evaluation 2003 Annual Report
April 16, 2004
Press Release from Representative Ed Markey: Study Finds Early Missile Defense Test Did Not Perform As Claimed
, Representative Ed Markey
March 4, 2002
GAO Report: Missile Defense Review of Results and Limitations of an Early National Missile Defense Flight Test
, Government Accountability Office (GAO)
March 4, 2002
GAO Report: Missile Defense Review of Allegations about an Early National Missile Defense Flight Test
, Government Accountability Office (GAO)
March 4, 2002
"Missile Defense Program Direction" memorandum by Secretary Defense Donald Rumsfeld outlining reductions in testing and financial oversight at the newly-named and reorganized Missile Defense Agency
, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld
January 2, 2002
The Coyle Report: A Comprehensive Pentagon Study Criticizing the National Missile Defense Test Program
,
June 26, 2001
Director Operational Test and Evaluation Report in Support of National Missile Defense Deployment Readiness Review
, Director, Operational Test and Evaluation
August 10, 2000
POGO in the News
Shoot the Moon: Missile Defense Costs as Much as Apollo Program, Adam Rawnsley, Wired; Danger Room, August 4, 2011
Spiraling Out of Control: How Missile Defense's Acquisition Strategy is Setting a Dangerous Precedent, By POGO's Nick Schwellenbach and Center for Defense Information's Victoria Samson, Defense and Security Analysis, June 1, 2008
Government watchdogs criticize SLAMRAAM, By Michael Bruno, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report, February 15, 2008
US Army left program's oversight to Raytheon-group, by Andrea Shalal-Esa, Reuters, February 12, 2008
Trouble for Drone-Killing Missile, By Noah Shachtman, Wired, February 12, 2008
BMD Focus: Rain downed U.S. BMD shield, By Martin Sieff, United Press International, March 29, 2007
Flooding causes missile defense delays in Alaska: Boeing's repairs to underground control rooms to cost $38M, By Shelby Spires, Huntsville Times, March 29, 2007
Rain KO'd Interceptors During Korea Missile Tests, By Noah Shachtman, Danger Room (Wired Blog), March 27, 2007
Rainy day for missile defense: Bob Moon's interview of POGO's Nick Schwellenbach, Interview By Bob Moon, Marketplace Radio, March 27, 2007
Can Costly Radar Survive in Alaska?; System Would Warn If Missile Was Launched At U.S., But Can It Cope With Alaska's Harsh Weather?, , CBS Evening News, December 20, 2006
X-band radar to play integral role in controversial system, By Bryan Martin, Kodiak Daily Mirror, October 26, 2006
Boeing to Feel Heat on Missiles: US defense system faces new scrutiny, By Ameet Sachdev, Chicago Tribune, July 6, 2006
Perspectives on President's Planned Missile Defense System, , CNN, January 22, 2004




