US missile defense system questioned

The Union of Concerned Scientists questioned U.S. missile defense capabilities given a recent report warning the system may be fooled by decoys. A report from the National Research Council called on the U.S. Defense Department and Missile Defense Agency to reconsider a planned ballistic missile defense system. Analysis from Aviation Week notes that the system, boost-phase missile defense, isn't practical because of a series of logistical constraints. The NRC in 2009 was called on by U.S. lawmakers to consider whether boost-phase missile defense was feasible. The Union of Concerned Scientists said there were concerns that decoys and other countermeasures could interfere with such a system. Laura Grego, a global security expert at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said more testing was needed before the system is taken seriously. "It makes no sense to build new interceptors and expand the ground-based missile defense system without proving that the system works," she said. The Democratic National Platform states the U.S. President Barack Obama is committed to the defense of U.S. allies through the NATO partnership in a strategy that includes missile defense systems deployed in Eastern Europe. In August, U.S. officials said Washington was examining missile defense in the Persian Gulf region given recent tensions with Iran.