This article, “Outside View: Flawed Missile War Game,” first appeared on UPI on March 13, 2006.

The addled thinking of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency was on full display in late January when MDA officials conducted a missile defense war game on Capitol Hill.

In this war game, Midland, a fictional island nation located in the Sea of Japan, decides to attack its neighbors, South Korea and Japan. According to the formal briefing presented to participants and observers, this is because: "Tensions between Midland and Japan and South Korea have increased over oil reserves and fishing rights." In this war game, Midland is not allowed to also attack North Korea because, well, Midland is North Korea. To be politically correct, MDA just doesn't say so. Midland also attacks the United States, launching seven long-range missiles to "preclude U.S. involvement," according to the briefing.

To preclude U.S. involvement? MDA forgot to "Remember Pearl Harbor." I promise you, if someone fires seven intercontinental ballistic missiles at the United States, we are going to get involved. Yet MDA postulates that without missile defenses, this action by North Korea, excuse me, Midland, will "constrain U.S. engagement."

This is the kind of fuzzy thinking that has affected so much of the U.S. planning in missile defense. MDA postulates a goofy threat -- that attacking the United States will keep us from getting involved -- and then justifies tens of billions of taxpayer dollars to counter the goofy threat.

A recent Pentagon briefing claims the threat from enemy missiles is growing and shows missiles in 20 countries. But all but two of those 20 countries -- Iran and North Korea -- are either friends, allies, or countries from which we have no missile threat, e.g. Israel, India, Pakistan, Vietnam, South Korea, Moldova, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, etc.

Moldova? Yes, Moldova.

And, with the exception of Russia and China, none of those 20 countries -- including Iran and North Korea -- have missiles that can reach the United States anyway.

The most futuristic missile defenses we can imagine will not be effective against the ICBMs in Russia and China, so we'd better get down to business to be sure we avoid war with -- or even accidental or unauthorized launches from -- Russia or China. Or even Midland.

The purpose of the recent war game -- conducted just as President George W. Bush's new defense budget was headed for Capitol Hill -- was for members of Congress, their staffs and the press to see a missile defense fantasy, and then support that fantasy with billions of new taxpayer dollars.

To get support for missile defense, the Pentagon needs a better story. But after 20 years trying, they still don't have one.

It would be astonishing if Midland, or any other country real or imaginary, didn't know that it would guarantee our involvement by firing scores of missiles at our friends and allies, and seven more at the U.S. homeland.

What's more astonishing is that the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency doesn't know it.