Rumsfeld’s missile bungle
Here’s a fantasy. Imagine three military
services agreed on the need for a versatile air-to-ground missile that could
precisely destroy a wide range of elusive targets — everything from
camouflaged armored vehicles to terrorist speedboats.
“We don’t need no stinkin’ missiles!”
Here’s a fantasy. Imagine three military services agreed on the need for a versatile air-to-ground missile that could precisely destroy a wide range of elusive targets — everything from camouflaged armored vehicles to terrorist speedboats.
Imagine they found a low-cost design that could do those things day or night, good weather or bad, even when enemies were trying to jam the missile.
Imagine the services selected a company that developed the missile on time and on cost, meeting all of its performance objectives.
And imagine the missile was fielded expeditiously, replacing four cold-war missiles with an easy-to-maintain round that saved military lives while minimizing unintended damage.
Well, 3 out of 4 ain’t bad.
On Christmas Eve in 2004, a secret meeting of then-U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s handpicked geniuses decided to terminate the whole effort without even asking military users whether that was a good idea.
The core of the program hasn’t officially been canceled — because no one can figure out Rummie’s paperwork requirements. No one’s ever explained why it shouldn’t proceed either.
It’s clearly a political decision and the folks who get to fight wars for the White House have been left out of the loop once again. Any ideas?
Posted: Tue - February 27, 2007 at 06:41 AM