“Interceptor production for three of Missile Defense Agency’s systems has been significantly disrupted during the past few years due to high-risk acquisition strategies which have resulted in delaying planned deliveries to the warfighter, raising costs, and disrupting the industrial base. Further, MDA continues to follow high-risk acquisition strategies for other programs. For example, its Targets and Countermeasures program is adding risk to an upcoming complex, costly operational flight test involving multiple MDA systems because it plans to use unproven targets.”
— From a Government Accountability Office assessment, here, released Thursday into the nation’s missile-defense efforts. While it may sound critical at first glance, some might argue that, in some cases, using “unproven targets” to help develop defenses against unproven threats makes sense.
