Theater Missile Defense: Issues for the 103rd Congress
Abstract
Theater missile defense (TMD) is increasingly an important national defense priority. Concerns over the global spread of ballistic missiles and the war against Iraq focused attention on the need for effective TMD systems in the near term. During the 103rd session of Congress, several key budget and policy issues are likely to be raised. How much importance should be placed on the development and deployment of TMD systems as one element of the Nation's efforts to deal with proliferation? Should TMD systems continue to be part of an overall global missile defense system? Are the Pentagon proposed plans for the 1990s affordable? Are there areas in which significant budgetary savings are possible? As advanced TMD development proceeds, questions regarding the salience of the ABM Treaty are likely to become an important part of the debate as well. An important question considered by the last Congress was whether TMD programs should be stripped from SDIO (now BMDO), partly in response to frustration over what Congress believes was Pentagon unresponsiveness to a clear congressional mandate for TMD initiatives. Depending on Clinton Administration plans, Congress may pursue this further. Finally, a sensitive foreign policy issue concerns future U.S. support for the Israeli Arrow program. Questions about Arrow's utility and affordability are being raised against a backdrop of concerns over Israeli technology transfers to other countries.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 22, 1993
- Accession Number
- ADA344646
Entities
People
- Steven A. Hildreth
Organizations
- Library of Congress