Gen. Ronald Kadish's Testimony before the House Armed Services Committee

Feb 28, 2002

HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE HEARING ON MISSILE DEFENSE BUDGET

Press Release: February 27, 2002

Contact: Chris Madison 202.546.0795 ext.106

Gen. Ronald Kadish, head of the Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency, said today the agency planned to have the capability to shoot down an enemy missile by 2004, using the missile “test bed” the administration plans to build in Alaska beginning this year. The administration has said previously that the test facility planned for Alaska could be used for a “rudimentary deployment” once it is built by 2004. But the Pentagon has rarely if ever asserted that it would have the capability to shoot down an enemy missile by 2004. Most experts doubt the system will be ready by then.

“This is technology creep at the Alaska site,” said Chris Madison, director of the Center’s Missile Defense Project. “First it was a test site, then it was a rudimentary deployment if needed in an emergency. Now it’s a deployment capable of shooting down a Korean missile.”

Kadish faced tough questions from House Armed Services Committee Democrats today on both the state of the technology and the new looser procurement rules under which the agency is operating. Under questioning, Kadish acknowledged the United States had no missile defense despite spending $60 billion. Other analysis shows the United States has spent an estimated $148 billion in current dollars on missile defense since the 1950s.

Kadish was pressed by Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo. and John Spratt, D-S.C. about the new procurement rules adopted by the administration when it set up the Missile Defense Agency late last year. Kadish said the agency needed the flexibility of a “capabilities-based” approach because building missile defense was different than building other weapons system, which were developed based on specific requirements set down in advance. He also said the agency needed to work more closely with defense contractors.

Committee Republicans came to Kadish’s defense. “I want to tell you that we’re very pleased with your leadership,” said Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa. Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., said, “These programs appear to be gaining the momentum to attain and sustain a test rate of three or more tests per year, a rather dramatic improvement over past performance.” But he also noted that “Some of our members are more enthusiastic than others about these recent organizational and policy developments.”

But Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass., said “It would be a mistake to interpret the silence in the wake of September 11th as a sign of approval by all in the Congress” of the administration’s missile defense actions, Meehan said. “The administration’s proposals raise very serious questions in the minds of many members on our side.”