Pentagon resists Army's desire to stop development of MEADS missile system - washingtonpost.com: "After several failed attempts, the Army is trying again to cancel a $19 billion missile defense system that the United States is developing in partnership with Italy and Germany. Known as the Medium Extended Air Defense System, or MEADS, it has been in the works for more than a decade and is designed to replace, in part, the Army's aging Patriot system.
But the Army says MEADS has become too expensive, is taking too long to produce and is difficult to manage because any changes in the program require German and Italian approval. 'The system will not meet U.S. requirements or address the current and emerging threat without extensive and costly modifications,' an internal Army staff memo concluded last month in recommending the cancellation of MEADS.
Despite the Army's concerns, however, the Pentagon is pushing ahead with MEADS and has requested $467 million from Congress to develop the system next year."
