Oops, There Goes L.A.!

The missle defense system test Wednesday:

A target missile carrying a mock warhead was successfully launched as scheduled from Kodiak, Alaska, at 12:45 a.m. EST, in the first launch of a target missile from Kodiak in support of a full flight test of the system.

However, the agency said the ground-based interceptor "experienced an anomaly shortly before it was to be launched" from the Ronald Reagan Test Site at Kwajalein Atoll in the central Pacific Ocean 16 minutes after the target missile left Alaska.

An announcement said the interceptor experienced an automatic shutdown "due to an unknown anomaly."

The agency gave no other details and said program officials will review pre-launch data to determine the cause for the shutdown.

The military is in final preparations to activate missile defenses designed to protect against an intercontinental ballistic missile attack from North Korea or elsewhere in eastern Asia.

Why, yes, this is the system we are already in the process of installing, at the cost of millions of dollars. And yes, this was the first full flight test in almost two years, after a number of changes that supposedly fixed the many earlier problems. And yes, this is the test that has been delayed by bad weather. (No, I don't expect the North Koreans to only attack on a sunny day, either.)

Let's not quibble about whether or not there really is a threat of missle attack from Asia, or whether reliably defending against a swarm of decoys hiding one warhead during the flight time of an ICBM is even possible. This system is lame, and "not ready for prime-time." If this had been a real missle, that "unknown anomaly" would mean that some city on the West Coast would now be radioactive slag. Given the fact that the whole ability to find and hit the right bit of incoming stuff is at issue, they shouldn't be having to deal with "oops, the interceptor didn't even launch." This level of failure is beyond ridiculous. But I guess you go to war with the missle defense system you have, not the system you might want, or whatever.

Given the Bush method for recognizing and responding to failure, I expect the head of the Missle Defense Agency is now on the short list for heading Homeland Security, and may be on his way to a Medal of Freedom.