Costs of Alternative Approaches to SDI
Abstract
In the Missile Defense Act of 1991, the Congress declared a new policy goal: the nation should strive to deploy defenses to protect itself against attacks by a limited number of ballistic missiles. The act represented the first time since the inception of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) in 1983 that the Congress has explicitly supported the Administration's aim of deploying a system of missile defenses in the United States. Defenses against ballistic missiles would consist of three components: sensors, based on the ground or in space, to detect incoming missiles; interceptors, also based on the ground or in space, to intercept and destroy the missiles or their warheads; and a command system to coordinate all activities. The Missile Defense Act directed the Administration to begin deploying by 1996or as soon as technically feasible-a limited defense that would comply with the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. The act envisions the subsequent deployment of more capable defenses, if needed, that could include additional sites as well as space-based sensors; those defenses would require that the United States renegotiate or withdraw from the ABM treaty.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- AD1001736
Entities
People
- David Mosher
- Raymond Hall
Organizations
- Congressional Budget Office