SCIENTIST ASSAILS 'STAR WARS' PLAN

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP90-00965R000302430027-4
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: K
• Document Page Count: 1
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: September 21, 2012
• Sequence Number: 27
• Publication Date: December 4, 1985
• Content Type: OPEN SOURCE

STAT
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/21 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000302430027-4
ritW TUKK I IMES
ARTICLE APPEAAlik 4 December 1985
ON PAGE
SCIENTIST ASSAILS
'STAR WARS' PLAN
By MICHAEL R. GORDON
Special to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, Dec. 3? A scientist
who resigned in protest from a Penta-
gm ativiSory group on the President's
space-based missile defense program
told a Congressional committee today
that the United States could not have
confidence that the computer software
for a "Stars Wars" defense would ever
work.
vs,74We Immo' trust it," said David
tame Parnas, adding that the cods-
Mar software for such a system would
? fp?Nulneratde to "catastrophic tail-
'r.w,
Parnas, a professor of computer
. **Once at the University of Victoria in
1..Irfrom a Pentagon panel on the use
, British Columbia, resigned in
cp,tomputen for battle management,
aeying the software for a defensive sys-
1* in which the United States could
!plibte high reliance was an impossibil-
, !Lice then, he has been debating with
'other scientific experts who have de-
1rd the "Star Wars" missile de-
:f program, known formally as the
tegic Defense Initiative.
. Parnas and some of his critics
before a Senate Armed Serv-
, subcommittee today to debate the
prolblem.
Chances for 'Realistic Testing'
Dr. Parnas said that he was involved
irigther military work and that belted
tiv?political objections to President
getagan's program to develop a space-
blised defense against ballistic mis-
siles.
_He said his criticism of "Star Wars"
was based on a number of cOnsidera-
dons, including the view that there
would be "very limited opportunities
for realistic testing' of the software. ?
Dr. also said WU 41
detai
system and that this
able risk for Uni States. 41,5
On not afford to on software
WS way," he sal
Dr. Pamu said his criticisms ap-
plied to decentralized as well as cen-
tralized software designs.
. Dr. Parnas's arguments were vigor-
ously disputed by Solomon J. Buchs-
baum, a vice president at the Bell
Laboratories of A.T.&T., and Danny
Cohen of the University of California.
Both are on "Star Wars" panels organ-
ized by the Pentagon.
Compensating for Errors
Buchsbaum said some critics
live demanded that "Star Wars" soft-
ware be perfect. He said in fact errors
could be compensated for by a large
system.
' Dr. Buc.hsbaum said experience with
de United States telephone system
showed that the United States could de-
velop a highly reliable system that
cbuld function well despite occasional
+all failures.
,"The network as a whole is more reli-
able than its individual components,"
Dr. Buchsbaum said.
Dr. Parnas took exception to this
aaalogy,, arguing that the telephone
system ? unlike "Star Wars" ? has
been used extensively and does not
have to work in the face of enemy who
is trying to make it fail.
Mr. Cohen said that while he did not
expect software breakthroughs, soft-
ware "could be constructed to do the
Job."
He said that many critics have high-
lighted difficulties because
? adrances in other "Star Wars" tech-
nology, like sensors, have undercut
oder technical arguments of the crit-
Rowny Discusses Treaty
In another arms control develop-
ment, 'Lieut. Gen. Edward L. Rowny,
who is retired from the Army, said to-
dey that the United States would not
make a decision about whether to con-
dime not to undercut the second stmts.
& arms treaty until this spring or
summer, when the Navy is to deploy
another Trident submarine. General
Rowny was once head of an American
delegation to the strategic arms talks
In Geneva and now is an Administra-
tion arms control adviser.
Although the 1979 treaty was never
ratified by the United States, both sides
have pledged not to undercut it. The
agreement expires Dec. 31. Some Con-
gressional critics of the agreement
have said the Administration should re-
view its commitment to maintain the
agreement on the expiration date.
General Rowny said the treaty's ex-
piration date "means nothing." He told
a group of reporters that the "next
milestone" for a decision on the treaty
will come with the Trident deployment.
To stay within the treaty's limit of 1,200
launchers of multiple-warhead ballis-
tic missiles, the United States would
have to dismantle Poseidon subma-
rines or Minuteman III missile silos at
that time.
General Rowny also said Congress
should approve more money for strate-
gic programs if money is requested by
Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinber-
ger to respond to charges of Soviet
arms control violations. The Defense
Department is deliberating over such
responses.
But General Rowny said Congres-
sional actions would be affected by con-
cerni over military spending and the
Federal deficit. "In this climate it will
be damn tough," he said.
Declassified in Part - Sanitized Copy Approved for Release 2012/09/21 : CIA-RDP90-00965R000302430027-4