A group of eminent scientists who have been critical of missile defense plans told lawmakers that a system being built by the United States cannot protect the country.

They also questioned whether the U.S. Department of Defense has misled the public and European allies about the system's capabilities.

''The Global Missile Defense program offers no prospect of defending the United States from a real-world missile attack and undermines efforts to eliminate the real nuclear threats to the United States,'' said Lisbeth Gronlund, a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists, when she spoke to lawmakers last Wednesday at a House of Representatives oversight hearing on the missile defense program.

Gronlund's group has long expressed skepticism about missile defense.
The panel's chairman, Democratic congressman John Tierney, who has sought to step up oversight of the missile defense program since the Democrats took control of the House last year, called the hearing.

Missile defense traditionally has drawn more support from Republicans. Tierney said the testimony from the witnesses raises questions about current missile defense spending levels. He pointed to congressional projections of $213 to $277 billion in expenditures for the program between now and 2025.

''We need to all ask ourselves, whether you're a conservative Republican or a liberal Democrat: 'Are we wisely spending the taxpayer's money here','' Tierney said in his opening statement.

RSS    Save to Del.icio.us  Digg This