On the brink of national missile defense

Ever since President Reagan delivered his famous 1983 speech proposing an impenetrable shield that would protect the entire United States from an all-out attack by the Soviet Union, the issue of national missile defense has been infused to an unusual degree with partisan politics. Many Democrats still

deride the vision as a "Star Wars" fantasy, noting that even after spending more than $60 billion on research and development the United States is no closer to fielding the kind of space- and land-based shield envisioned by Reagan. Republicans counter by arguing that the massive research program conducted as part of Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative was instrumental in convincing the Soviets that they could not win the Cold War.

Changes in the political dynamic and the threat from ballistic missiles, however, have conspired to push the United States very close this year to deciding to deploy a national missile-defense system that the Congressional Budget Office estimates will cost another $60 billion. If key Republican lawmakers have their way, the United States will eventually field a much more robust and ambitious missile-defense system that includes sea- and space-based elements and could cost well in excess of$100 billion. That's good news for prime contractor Boeing and a host of other defense and high-tech companies involved in the national missile-defense effort.