The Defense Department last month launched a major overhaul of the nation’s ballistic missile defense system without first securing an independent cost estimate, eschewing what federal auditors say is a best practice for major weapon projects. Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist in late April approved the Missile Defense Agency to release to industry a request for proposals for a Next Generation Interceptor with a plan to tally a baseline cost estimate after reviewing those proposals sometime in fiscal year 2021,...
