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CNN Saturday Morning News
Pentagon Picks up Pace of Missile Defense Testing
Aired July 14, 2001 - 09:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BRIAN NELSON, CNN ANCHOR: The Pentagon is picking up the pace in its race to develop a working missile shield for the United States. There is another intercept test that is coming tonight, and we get more on it from CNN's military affairs correspondent Jamie McIntyre.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN MILITARY AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The fourth U.S. intercept test is a replay of last July's failed attempt. A target missile will be fired from Vandenberg Air Force Base toward Hawaii, and an interceptor launched from the Marshall Islands will try to collide with the mock warhead in space.
That's only worked once in three previous attempts.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, JULY 2000)
LT. GEN. RON KADISH, U.S. AIR FORCE: We'll have an idea what we think happened at this point.
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MCINTYRE: Last year, when a crucial deployment decision hung in the balance, General Ron Kadish looked crestfallen when the test failed, because a tried-and-true booster rocket didn't separate.
KADISH: This time it will separate. Either that, or we're going to find another rocket.
MCINTYRE: There's a reason General Kadish can joke about it now. President Bush, unlike President Clinton, is committed to missile defense no matter how many misses there are early on.
KADISH: This is one test in a series of tests, and if it's successful, we'll gain confidence. And if it fails, we will learn a lot.
MCINTYRE: Kadish has been given approval to schedule major tests every month or two at $100 million a pop -- not just tests of ground- based missiles but ship-based as well -- in order to try to meet the ambitious goal of having something that works by 2004.
And he's been given the green light to start clearing trees off a site at Fort Greely, Alaska, next month to get ready to build a missile test facility to make future tests more realistic.
(on camera): So don't look for any long faces around here if they miss. The new attitude at the Pentagon is, no intercept, no problem. Just figure out went wrong, give it another shot.
Jamie McIntyre, CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NELSON: In a related development on the diplomatic side of this issue, the U.S. is reportedly taking another look at the 1972 Antiballistic Missile Treaty, which many say would be abrogated with continued testing of this missile shield.
Secretary of State Colin Powell tells "The Washington Post" that the Bush administration needs a new agreement with Russia.
CNN's Kelly Wallace is live at the White House with us this morning with more on that.
Good morning, Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Brian.
Well, Brian, as you know, for some time the Bush administration has been saying that Antiballistic Missile Treaty is outdated, and that it prevents the United States from moving forward with research and development to deploy a missile defense system.
But really, all the administration has been saying for some time is that it needs to develop a, quote, "new strategic framework" with Russia. But exactly what that means is not clear.
Now we're getting some specifics. As you said, the secretary of state, Colin Powell, telling "The Washington Post" that he believes the U.S. needs to forge a new agreement, a new understanding, maybe a joint statement, if not, a new treaty with Russia that would not only cover defensive systems, such as a missile defense shield, but would also cover offensive systems and would likely include some promised reductions in the U.S. nuclear arsenal.
Now, yesterday, Condoleezza Rice, the president's national security advisor, briefing reporters before the president's upcoming trip to Europe, said that no way would the U.S. go ahead and do something illegal and go ahead and violate the ABM Treaty. She said, though, it is time to forge a new relationship with the Russians.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CONDOLEEZZA RICE, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: So what we're saying to the Russians is, Let's move beyond that treaty. We have some time now with the Russians over the next period of time here to try and come to a new strategic framework. But I can assure you that we understand our obligations, and we understand our legal obligations, and we would do anything that we're going to do, we're going to do it legally.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: And so the president has a bit of a diplomatic challenge ahead when he meets again with Russian President Vladimir Putin. As you know, the two leaders met for the first time last month. They will be meeting again next week at the summit of the most industrialized nations plus Russia. They also spoke on the telephone just about a week ago.
The challenge, again, to get the Russians to come to some understanding, some agreement, that again would allow the U.S. to go ahead and move forward with the missile defense system and would not be violating any agreements with Russia. The challenge, though, the Russians have said that if the U.S. goes forward with the missile defense system, and if it doesn't agree to make any changes, that it could go ahead and put multiple warheads on its own intercontinental ballistic missiles.
So some challenges ahead when it comes to diplomacy.
Brian, back to you.
NELSON: All right, thanks very much, Kelly Wallace for us at the White House.
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