Missile defense, a program under fire because of its failure to perform — or to use a somewhat recent movie title, “failure to launch” — has taken another torpedo amidships.
The program has suffered numerous test failures and castigation in a number of official reports.
Phil Coyle recently wrote a great piece on the program’s failings.
The Washington Beacon which appears to be a right wing rag, is now ragging on the head of the Missile Defense Agency, Army Lt. Gen. Patrick J. O’Reilly.
O’Reilly recently had a tough Inspector General report written about his management style.
I don’t like to pile on when individual and personnel issues are involved (unless we are talking about Mitt or Newt).
But a couple of the quotes in the article about missile defense, which has largely failed to work despite many decades of testing, are devastating.
A defense official “close” to the Missile Defense Agency, naturally anonymous, says the problem is not the O’Reilly’s management style but rather he is guilty of “failing to lead the nation any closer to a comprehensive missile defense system.”
Of course that is true of the missile defense program under Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Bush and Obama.
Have I forgotten anyone?
That same official suggested that all the Heinz 57 varieties of missile defense, with the possible exception of the Navy’s Aegis ballistic missile defense system, “are behind schedule and over budget.”
When a conservative reporter writes about the Republican pet rock as a failure, you know missile defense is hurting.
