The newspaper wrote that as the Bush administration also prepares for possible combat against Iraq, officials of the Pentagon, Air Force and defense industry are fretting over the state of high-tech defense programs, including a satellite surveillance system designed to track America's enemies.

US military and defense industry officials are concerned about the long-term capability of contractors designing the cutting-edge technology central to the projects, including Lockheed Martin, Boeing, TRW Inc. and Raytheon, according to the daily.

Officials say the delays come at a particularly bad time, as the United States faces an increasingly complex set of military threats and is counting on advanced technology for a decisive edge.

Government and industry officials attribute the problems to inconsistent funding during the 1990s, a shortage of talent at defense companies and the technical challenges involved in building such systems.

"Almost all of the space programs are in trouble, and that costs billions of dollars more than expected," Air Force Secretary James Roche told the Wall Street Journal.

"With these complex systems, if you make a mistake going in, it's permanent," he told the daily.