Pentagon rejects charges on NMD

WASHINGTON, JUNE 14. The Pentagon has dismissed criticism of its plans for a national missile defence system, saying charges that it would not be able to discriminate between missiles and decoys were unfounded.

The Defence Department spokesman, Adm. Craig Quigley, said yesterday the system would rely on a combination of factorsto ensure the correct target was hit.

``We have confidence that we will successfully be able to integrate these various technologies and come up with a system that ... can discriminate against the projected threat that a rogue nation might possess in the year 2005,'' he said.

Many leading independent scientists have warned that the system, meant to provide a shield against a small number of missiles fired by North Korea, Iran, Iraq or some other unfriendly state, would not provide foolproof protection.

- Reuters

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Section  : International
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