Nearly since the dawn of the nuclear age, America has sought a reliable defense against the world's most fearsome weapons: nuclear-armed ballistic missiles. In recent months, the continued determination and resiliency behind that quest, and the elusiveness of the goal, were on clear display. At its Lisbon Summit on Nov. 19, the NATO Alliance agreed for the first time to cooperate with the US in building a missile defense system to protect Europe, consistent with the Obama Administration's proposed Phased Adaptive Approach. This system will center on improvements in space-based sensors and land-based radars, and on upgrades of the Navy's existing Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System.
展开▼
