[231] in peace2
THURSDAY- NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE PROGRAM
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (F. AuYeung)
Tue Apr 25 22:34:16 2000
Message-Id: <200004260216.WAA156917@w20-575-68.mit.edu>
To: peace-list@MIT.EDU
cc: iguanatw@MIT.EDU
Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2000 22:16:31 -0400
From: "F. AuYeung" <auyeung@MIT.EDU>
W A S T E , F R A U D , & F A L S E S E C U R I T Y
The Dark Side of the Star Wars Missile Defense System
___________________________________________________________
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2000, 7:30 PM, MIT ROOM 10-250
___________________________________________________________
* Representative Barney Frank - - Advocate for shift in
budget priorities towards Domestic needs and away
from wasteful, Cold War oriented military programs
* Dr. Nira Schwartz - - Former senior engineer at TRW - major NMD
contractor charged the company with faking antimissile tests
* Professor Celeste Wallander - - Davis Center for Russian
Studies, Harvard University, national and international
security expert
* Lisbeth Gronlund - - Union of Concerned Scientists and MIT
Security Studies Program will moderate.
Star Wars is a defense system that doesn't defend, threatens
existing arms control agreements while Russian military and civilian
leaders warn that it will start a new nuclear arms race. The U.S.
government seems intent upon deploying a ballistic missile shield
based on questionable test results. Any country whose ballistic
missiles could pose a serious threat to the United States could also
evade the NMD, said Union of Concerned Scientists' Report.(I will get
exact quote) This program is already the most expensive federal
research project in our history, more than $67 billion since 1983.
Now, the government prepares to put another $10.5 billion into
deploying the system.
Rep. Frank will look at the NMD from both a budgetary and taxpayers
position. Dr. Schwartz is suing TRW, for allegedly altering tests to
give the Pentagon a falsely rosy picture of the "Star Wars" project.
She will share some of her experiences and disappointments in trying
to inform the government. Prof. Wallander will discuss how - in the
wake of the Russian Duma's passage of START and the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty - proceeding with the NMD and violating the ABM Treaty can
effect our national security and international relations.
___________________________________________________________
THURSDAY, APRIL 27, 2000, 7:30 PM, MIT ROOM 10-250
___________________________________________________________
This event is sponsored by Massachusetts Peace Action;
co-sponsored by the Deparment of Urban Studies and Planning
and the MIT Social Justice Cooperative <mit.edu/justice>.
