US to proceed with ballistic missile shield

US to proceed with ballistic missile shield

The US is set to proceed with a controversial test of the proposed design for an American ballistic missile shield. The $100m launch will take place in the early hours of tomorrow over the Pacific Ocean. Both Russia and China are opposing the proposal.

Test number one was spectacular. The missile launch over the Pacific was declared a success. The second test, in January this year, was equally impressive. However, this time the so-called kill vehicle missed the mock warhead. The outcome of tonight's third try will be crucial in deciding whether to go ahead with the missile defence plan. What the designers hope will happen is that a missile armed with a dummy warhead, will be fired over the Pacific, while another will be fired 5,000 miles away in an attempt to intercept it.

Supporters of the plan say that it is necessary for US security. The US believes the main threat of nuclear attack comes from so-called rogue states, like North Korea, Iran and Iraq. However, Russia has made it clear that it opposes the plan. The launch is also bad timing for US officials who are in crucial arms control talks with China. Environmentalists are also against the plan and Greenpeace are on their way to the test zone. Despite the opposition, the US is determined to go ahead. If tonight's test is successful, Bill Clinton could give the thumbs up to the costliest and most contentious American military programme ever.

American and Chinese officials are meeting in Beijing to discuss a reopening of dialogue on the issue of arms control. The talks were broken off after NATO's bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade last year. They are expected to focus on American plans for the defence system, to which China has already voiced its opposition. A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in Washington, Che-Yah-Fay, said that the project would upset the strategic global balance and undercut the momentum for nuclear disarmament.