The Union of Concerned Scientists backed the congressional opposition that sharply curtailed SDI efforts, limiting development of U.S. homeland defense to the most costly, least effective defenses: ground-based interceptors. This also canceled development of the most cost-effective defenses, those based in space, while claiming that such defenses would be excessively expensive, contrary to exhaustive technical and cost studies.
SDI’s first director, retired Lt. Gen. Jim Abrahamson, joined me to dispute these claims in our letter “Space-Based Defense Is Best, and Cheapest” (July 22, 2017). We were writing to welcome your editorial “The Missile Defense Imperative” (June 26, 2017).