Is There a Need for a CONUS-Based National Missile Defense System to Protect the United States Against Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles in the 21st Century

摘要

This is an unclassified review of the debate on the necessity to develop and field a ballistic missile defense system for the continental United States. Initially, the paper recounts the rationale for the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) which was the U.S. approach to defense against the massive nuclear arsenal of the Soviet Union. The paper next reviews the threat environment in 1994 and the ongoing worldwide proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, biological, chemical). A description of the proposed 'Limited Defense System' for continental protection of the United States is followed by a review of current U.S. ballistic missile defense policy and budget. The paper concludes by evaluating the current situation and recommending a prudent course of action for U.S. policy makers (i.e., the projected threat environment warrants deployment of a limited defense system as soon as technology permits).