Cord Byrd: “the United States completed its withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty on June, 13, 2002, and the Pentagon…”

“the United States completed its withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty on June, 13, 2002, and the Pentagon has shifted into high gear its efforts to deploy a rudimentary anti-missile system by 2004. The drivers of this missile defense hot-rod are doing their best to make it look as good as possible, and they are spreading the word of its latest successes on the test track. But I am not alone in wondering what this vehicle, with its $100 billion purchase price, really has under the hood. Does it have the souped-up engine that we are being promised, or is this another dressed-up jalopy? And, more importantly, as this missile defense hot-rod charges down the road with its throttle wide open and the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty in the rear-view mirror, is the scrutiny of Congress and the American people being left in the dust? As part of its normal oversight duties, the Armed Services Committee has requested from the Department of Defense information relating to cost estimates and performance measures for various components of the missile defense research program that is underway.”