US 'will have missile defence by year-end'

The US expects to be totally protected from a North Korean missile attack by the end of 2004, but failures in two tests could mean “big problems” for the controversial programme.

Air Force Lieutenant General Ron Kadish, director of the Missile Defence Agency, said a decision on when to put the first missile interceptors on alert has not been made, but that plans call for several to be ready to fire by September.