Aldric Saucier

Established by President Reagan in the 1980s, the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), also known as the “Star Wars” program, was meant to defend the United States in case intercontinental ballistic missiles were sent by the USSR. The purpose of the program was to defend the United States against intercontinental ballistic missiles sent by the USSR in case the Cold War escalated. However, in 1986, physicist Aldric Saucier sent a letter, detailing his concerns regarding gross mismanagement and waste associated with the program, to Air Force Lt. Gen. James Abrahamson, who was the director of the Star Wars project at the time. Then the retaliation began. After writing the letter, his performance reviews suddenly worsened and he was demoted a year later.

Saucier stated that the project’s biased and incomplete research was funded by misleading Congress about its efficacy. As his case gained increased public attention, the retaliation against Saucier escalated. In February 1992, the Army fired Saucier on the grounds of “unacceptable performance.” The firing was reversed after an independent review of Saucier’s work found no evidence to substantiate the Army’s claim. Two months later, the Army fired Saucier again by alleging that he lied on an application which he didn’t write. Government Accountability Project represented Saucier throughout his ordeal and as his disclosures helped the public see the true problems with the Star Wars program.