Ballistic Missile Defense: A National Priority
Abstract
March 23, 2008, marked the 25th anniversary of Ronald Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), or "Star Wars," speech. President Reagan challenged the notion that the security of our nation had to rely entirely on so-called mutually assured destruction (MAD). The president argued that "the human spirit must be capable of rising above dealing with other nations and human beings by threatening their existence." While acknowledging the technological challenges inherent in missile defense, often compared to "hitting a bullet with a bullet," Reagan nevertheless "call[ed] upon the scientific community in our country, those who gave us nuclear weapons, to turn their great talents now to the cause of mankind and world peace, to give us the means of rendering these nuclear weapons impotent and obsolete." The speech galvanized the American people, and the White House was overwhelmed with phone calls from the general public, over 80 percent of which were supportive of SDI. The Soviets also took notice, publicly denouncing the speech in hysterical tones while, internally, wondering what it meant for the future of their crumbling Communist system. As Vice President Cheney recently said, "Reagan's vision of missile defense surely helped accelerate our victory in the Cold War. There was simply no way the Soviet Union was going to defeat an America so confident in its purposes and so determined to defend itself against nuclear terror. This outcome alone is enough to place Ronald Reagan among our greatest presidents." The anniversary of President Reagan's momentous speech has caused the author to reflect a great deal on the subject of missile defense -- what we have accomplished and what we have yet to do. In this article, the author discusses the nature of the threat America faces from ballistic missiles, the Ballistic Missile Defense System that we have built, the technologies for the future, and the political environment facing missile defense today.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2008
- Accession Number
- ADA508878
Entities
People
- Jeff Sessions