STORY:
Pentagon says it will be ready for 2000

All computer systems deemed critical to U.S. national defense, including those that warn of a missile attack, will be safe from glitches many expect when 1999 turns to 2000, according to Defense Department officials in an Associated Press report. Deputy Defense Secretary John Hamre announced that as of Dec. 31, 1998, the Pentagon had certified that 81 percent of its "mission critical" computer systems were ready for the arrival of 2000.

The department "went into hyperdrive" with its Year 2000, or Y2K, work after realizing in August that it was moving too slowly, Hamre said in a press conference. "I'm very confident we won't have major problems," he said. The bill for fixing the Pentagon's computers and testing them will reach $2.5 billion, Hamr said.

Special attention is being given to systems affecting the U.S. nuclear arsenal, he said. In December, the North American Aerospace Defense Command ran simulated missile attacks to ensure that its computers would work properly. "In every case, the systems worked as designed," Hamre said.

According to the AP, he said U.S. officials are working with the Russian government on its Y2K preparations, adding that there is little worry about accidental nuclear launches. Separately, a Russian Y2K expert said yesterday "the problem with strategic weapons has been solved," but that questions remain about Russia's air defenses and early warning systems.

Andrei Terekov, director of a firm helping Russian companies with the Y2K transition, said it is unlikely the computer problem would cause warheads to detonate or missiles to be fired by mistake.

DATE: 1/18/99

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