Here's a Place to Cut the Defense Budget

Ballistics Missile Defense schemes have been around for a while now. I'm not sure that any of these schemes have been proven to work. But, that doesn't mean we have stopped spending money on the concept. For example, in September 2009 we decided to revise our approach to the European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA). So, for the past sixteen months DOD has been hard at work on the project.

Here's what the GAO says about DOD's efforts thus far:

DOD has initiated multiple simultaneous efforts to implement EPAA but faces three key management challenges—the lack of clear guidance, life-cycle cost estimates, and a fully integrated schedule—which may result in inefficient planning and execution, limited oversight, and increased cost and performance risks.

How much have we spent so far on this boondoggle? Why do Gates and Obama think we need it?