General Wesley Clark on MSNBC News Live

November 12, 2007 1:45 PM
Transcript by Reg NYC

Kris: Congress is putting the finishing touches on this year's Defense Spending Bill. 8.7 billion dollars will be going to high tech missile defense systems. So, why spend so much cash on conventional weapons while fighting an unconventional war on terror? That's the question for MSNBC military analysts retired Four-Star General Wesley Clark and retired U.S. Army Colonel Jack Jacobs. General Clark let me start with you.

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Mm hm.

Kris: Why this renewed focus on these missile defense systems?

GENERAL WESLEY CLARK: Well, it's not renewed. I mean, we've been focusing for a decade or more on high-altitude air defense, on intercepting missiles in flight. The question was: How high can you intercept them and how long a range missile can you intercept, because the longer range they are the faster they are? So, you have to have better technology. The technology's getting better, and the first systems are being deployed now, and there's discussion of a system of deployment in Europe. So, I think this is part of prudent defense planning. It's gone on for a long time, started in the Clinton administration. It's still moving forward.