The National Missile Defense cost figure of $12.7 billion frequently cited by the Clinton administration is less than half the true life-cycle cost of the program, a senior Defense Department official confirmed today. The full NMD life-cycle cost from program inception through 2026 is actually estimated to be $30.2 billion, according to Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. Craig Quigley. However, even that figure is in 1991 dollars and does not reflect the current cost of the program, he added. Quigley's comments...
