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SANTA BARBARA - The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation today condemned Sunday’s scheduled missile defense test from Vandenberg Air Force Base as “dangerous, destabilizing and provocative.”

The test involves a missile being fired from the Marshall Islands to simulate an attack on the United States by Iran, a country that neither possesses nuclear weapons nor long-range missiles capable of reaching the United States. An interceptor missile will be fired from Vandenberg AFB in an attempt to collide with the incoming missile.

David Krieger, President of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, pointed to the provocative nature of the test. He said:

“Missile defense testing by the United States does not make our country more secure. Rather, the tests are provocative and dangerous, leading other countries to further develop their offensive missile systems to assure that the US does not contemplate a first-strike attack. The United States continues throwing billions of dollars into the bottomless pit of missile defense, a technology that remains largely ineffective. This test, which is estimated to cost $150 million, is designed to simulate an attack by Iran, even though Iran does not have long-range missiles or nuclear weapons with which to attack the United States. Such scenarios destabilize relations with other countries and waste taxpayer dollars.”

For additional comments and interviews, please contact David Krieger, NAPF President, at (805) 965-3443 or Rick Wayman, NAPF Director of Programs, at (805) 696-5159.

The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation initiates and supports worldwide efforts to abolish nuclear weapons, to strengthen international law and institutions, and to inspire and empower a new generation of peace leaders.  Founded in 1982, the Foundation is comprised of individuals and organizations worldwide who realize the imperative for peace in the Nuclear Age.  The Nuclear Age Peace Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan international education and advocacy organization.  It has consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council and is recognized by the UN as a Peace Messenger Organization.