The World - News from Dec. 19, 1986

Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.) urged the Reagan Administration to begin full development of a scaled-down missile defense system that could be fully operational before the end of the century at a cost of $125 billion. Wilson, who calls himself an “enthusiastic advocate” of the Administration’s Strategic Defense Initiative (“Star Wars”), said the program could be financed by scrapping the proposed Midgetman missile and reordering other Pentagon programs. Defense Secretary Caspar W. Weinberger has opposed interim deployment of a partial system, saying this would divert funds from development of the space-based shield envisioned by President Reagan.