JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: In the United States there are new delays in plans for a controversial national missile defense system. Design problems and sliding test schedules are putting its 2005 deadline in question. We get more details from CNN's military affairs correspondent, Jamie McIntyre. He's at the Pentagon.</s>JAMIE MCINTYRE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Judy, the bottom line is that the Pentagon today admitted that a series of delays could result in a postponement of the deployment of the first phase of national missile defense, which is scheduled for 2005. Essentially what seemed like a fluke in last month's failed missile test, the failure of booster rocket to separate, is throwing a monkey wrench into the admittedly high-risk schedule the Pentagon has to deploy 20 interceptor missiles in Alaska by 2005. The Pentagon now says it will have to postpone the next intercept test, scheduled for November, a month or more because rocket scientists aren't sure they fixed the problem, and that's prompted Secretary of Defense William Cohen to delay his recommendation to the White House about whether to stick to the 2005 goal. Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon said today -- quote -- "We're in the process of a fairly massive review of the program right now." The booster that failed is an old missile, scheduled for use in only two more tests, but the booster failure pointed out the need for some backup avionics, which now will have to be designed into the new booster rocket, which causes further delays in a key part of the missile shield that's already 8 months behind schedule. So you can see the delays are snowballing. Pentagon officials privately acknowledged the missile defense schedule is slipping and that 2005 looks highly unlikely, but they say Secretary Cohen could still recommend going ahead with the preliminary work on the key radar to signal the Russians the U.S. is serious about its missile shield and try to pressure them to cut a deal on the ABM Treaty -- Judy.</s>WOODRUFF: All right, Jamie McIntyre, reporting from the Pentagon.
Defense Department Admits It May Have to Postpone Deployment of National Missile Defense