US efforts to develop an anti-missile defense system have been hamstrung by inadequate testing, shortages of parts and lapses in management, according to an independent report cited Sunday in the Washington Post.
In the 40-page report commissioned by the US Defense Department, the independent panel also warned that recent delays in testing have hurt US missile development.
"There is unusual fragmentation and confusion about authority and responsibility" in the US missile program, said the report, which Pentagon officials forwarded to Congress last week.
The 12-member panel of former military officers and civilian defense experts reportedly recommended increased missile testing, additional hardware and more stringent oversight of the program.
According to the Post, the Pentagon's Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, which coordinates the US government antimissile programs, issued a two-page statement agreeing with most of the panel's recommendations.
The report came to light as US President Bill Clinton prepared for a decision later this year on whether to approve the building of a multi-billion dollar anti-missile system.
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