In the shadow of continued rocket fire directed from the Gaza Strip at Israel's southern communities, State Comptroller Micha Lindentrauss blasted the Defense Ministry's decision-making process surrounding the development of rocket defense systems that could have prevented many of the potentially deadly rocket strikes. Lindentrauss presented the latest report, that also probed Israel's readiness on the home front and the work of security forces in the Jerusalem area, to acting Knesset Speaker Michael Eitan in Eitan's office early Monday afternoon.

Lindentrauss criticized the fact that two different rocket defense systems are currently being developed at great expense to the IDF's budget. "Significant errors were found in the decision-making process regarding developing active defense systems against surface-to-surface missiles, errors that could cause development and mobilization of systems that do not satisfy all of the operational needs."

This process, he warned, could lead to "needless financial expenditures and a waste of time." Lindentrauss recommended that the country's civilian leaders review both of the projects - the Iron Dome and the Magic Wand systems - and review the goals and benefits of the two active defense systems in comparison to their expenses.

Most of the criticism is directed not at the civilian echelon of the Defense Ministry, but rather against the IDF planners who, the report said, failed to take into consideration all of the operational possibilities when drawing up the initial plans together with weapons developer Rafael. The contract, Lindentrauss complained, between the Defense Ministry and Rafael does not take into consideration all of the possible ranges of missiles that the system would have to confront.

Furthermore, Lindenstrauss claimed, Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, in his previous capacity as Cabinet Defense secretary, approved funding for the Magic Wand system, even though he did not have the authority to do so.

The NIS 860 million Iron Dome system is supposed to fire a rocket that will knock rockets fired from Gaza toward Israel out of the sky, and will "know" how to identify and target rockets that are going to land in populated areas, while leaving others to fall in fields. Defense Ministry sources estimate that the system will be ready for deployment at the earliest by the end of 2009.

Despite the criticisms leveled at the Defense Ministry over the way it has selected and developed the Iron Dome anti-missile shield, defense sources have offered a robust defense of the system, saying that the shortcomings listed in the Comptroller's report stemmed from the "bold ambition" of developers.

In a statement released on Monday, the Defense Ministry said it "welcomed the State Comptroller's report and views it as a badge of honor."

"An in-depth look at the report's summary finds that these shortcomings stem from the bold ambition of those involved to provide operational solutions to those in the field as soon as possible, even if this comes at the price of not observing all of the procedures relating to complex analyses, cost-benefit checks … etc." the statement said.

Development of the rocket shield has now reached its "final stage," and is running "ahead of schedule," said Brig.-Gen. Danny Gold, Head of Research and Development for the Ministry of Defense's Administration for the Development of Weapons and the Technological Industry.

In January, officials said that unlike its American competition - the Skyguard - Iron Dome "is proceeding at a good pace," with an important intercept test scheduled for this spring, and its developers working "round the clock" with the aim of a first deployment early next year.

"This system can be developed in a fifth of the time it would take to develop other systems, and at a tenth of the cost," Gold said. "It is the cheapest system in the world."

Gold added that the "best of Israel's minds" were working "day and night" at the Rafael Armament Development Industry, which is producing the Iron Dome. The shield is designed to intercept the type of short-range rockets that have terrorized southern Israel for years.

Gold hinted that press reports suggesting that Iron Dome would become operational in 2010 were accurate.

Magic Wand, a second rocket shield aimed at intercepting projectiles with a longer range, would serve as a complimentary system to Iron Dome, Gold added. Magic Wand is expected to be ready for use a year or two after Iron Dome goes online.

Magic Wand is being developed jointly by Rafael and US defense corporation Reytheon, and is designed to fire Stunner missiles at incoming rockets.

Alternative rocket shield initiatives, such as the laser-based Nautilus Defense System, now updated and known as "Skyguard", have reached a dead end after Defense Ministry Director-General Pinchas Buhris paid a visit one year ago to White Sands, New Mexico, to see the system deployed there. Defense officials told The Jerusalem Post at the time that Buchris and his delegation returned to Israel certain that the choice of Iron Dome was correct and that the Northrop Grumman system was not feasible.

The report also related to Israel's lack of preparedness for a possible chemical attack, noting that those responsible for the protection of the state had disregarded conclusions on the issue in previous reports. The most recent findings also pointed to a consistent decline in the number of functional gas masks since 2003.

In the chapter which discussed permanent security measures, the state comptroller noted that despite a government decision in 2001 to create a security barrier around Jerusalem, only 30% of the fence had been erected by August 2008, and only three of the planned 13 routes were in construction. Legal and fiscal problems were cited in the report as the cause for the delay.

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