Missile Defense
Interceptor test in the Marshall Islands (2005). MDA photo.
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RECENT ANALYSIS
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Apr 3, 2008
On 25th Anniversary of "Star Wars," Cheney's Missile Defense Claims Don't Add Up
On March 11, 2008, Vice President Dick Cheney reiterated five Bush administration talking points about the need for missile defense. Not surprisingly, the evidence supporting Cheney's assertions is remarkably thin at best, nonexistent at worst. -
Mar 26, 2008
Star Wars Turns 25 Years Old, but Effective and Capable Missile Defense Still Elusive
In this new analysis, Lt. Gen. Robert Gard (USA, ret.) and John Isaacs explain how 25 years and $120 billion dollars after President Ronald Reagan unveiled "Star Wars," U.S. national missile defense is still not effective or capable. -
Mar 18, 2008
Why Missile Defense Upsets Russia
Russia may see U.S. missile defense efforts in Europe as the threatening tip of the iceberg. The initiative may be directed at Iran, but that is not the only country it could affect in the long run. - See more articles »
CENTER EXPERT
Lieutenant General Robert G. Gard, Jr. (USA, ret.)
Senior Military Fellow
202-546-0795 ext.110
rgard AT armscontrolcenter DOT org
The American missile defense program is a comprehensive, multi-layered system of systems designed to counter attacks by ballistic missiles. The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) within the Department of Defense has primary responsibility for ballistic missile defense programs. Annual funding has increased from $3 billion during the Clinton administration to over $10 billion today.
It was not until 1983, with President Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" speech, that expanded research and development on missile defense programs notably accelerated. The Star Wars program, officially known as the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), aimed to establish combined ground- and space-based missile defense systems to protect against strategic nuclear ballistic missiles by forming a "protective bubble." This complex endeavor sparked skepticism about technological feasibility, affordability, and possible abrogation of the ABM Treaty. Star Wars was never fully developed or deployed.
Treaties between the U.S. and Soviet Union involving missile defense include the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) treaty, the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaties (SALT I and II), the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaties (START I and II), and the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Each of these Cold War pacts aimed to reduce nuclear stockpiles and set guidelines for future development. In 2002, President George W. Bush withdrew the U.S. from the ABM treaty after the required six month notification period.
FACT SHEETS
Apr 3, 2008 On 25th Anniversary of "Star Wars," Cheney's Missile Defense Claims Don't Add Up
Mar 26, 2008 Star Wars Turns 25 Years Old, but Effective and Capable Missile Defense Still Elusive
Dec 3, 2007 For U.S. Missile Defense, Heavily Scripted Success Does Not Equal Security
Jul 16, 2007 National Missile Defense in Europe: Premature and Unwise
ADDITIONAL READING
- Government Accountability Office, "Progress Made in Fielding Missile Defense, but Program is Short of Meeting Goals," released March 2008.
- The Illusion of Operational Readiness of National Missile Defense
An overview of missile defense development through 2006. - Congressional Research Service, "Long-Range Ballistic Missile Defense in Europe," released July 25, 2007.
- Congressional Research Service, "Ballistic Missile Defense: Historical Overview," updated July 9, 2007.