Rationale Justifying the Stated Mission Needs for Cruise Missile

In an April 1977 report to Congress, GAO recommended that the Secretary of Defense reevaluate the role of cruise missiles to assure that developments are directed toward specific military requirements that relate to mission needs. It is uncertain whether the Department of Defense has developed mission needs data or whether they will develop this type of information for each variant of cruise missle as their plans and studies proceed.