DOD Takes Long View of Missile Defense

An effective defense to protect the territory of the U.S. and its allies from ballistic missile warheads is very far off in the future. Such a defense is certainly not attainable within five years or so using today's technology, as its more strident advocates within Congress and the defense establishment claim. And it may turn out not to be feasible at all, despite a massive commitment of scientific and technological resources to explore possible approaches. This is one rather unexpected conclusion that can be drawn from Secretary of Defense Caspar W. Weinberger's 1984 report to Congress. The 297-page document, submitted last week, seeks to explain to a deficit-conscious legislature the need for a proposed 18% one-year increase in defense spending for fiscal 1985—a boost that includes a 26% increment for defense-related R&D funding. On other topics of interest to the scientific and chemical communities the report indicates that: • The Soviet Union's defenserelated R&D effort ...