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Ballistic Missile Defense

The threat from long-range nuclear missiles is growing and endangers the lives of millions of Americans, while upsetting regional and global stability. America needs a comprehensive ballistic missile defense system that employs a multilayered defense system of sea, ground, and space-based systems.

 

July 10, 2008
Iranian Missile Tests Boost International Tensions and Proliferation Concerns
By James Phillips
(WebMemo #1985)
Iran’s missile-rattling provides one more reminder-if any were needed-that the United States and its allies need to cooperate more effectively to contain Iran's rising power, ...

 

June 24, 2008
Missile Defense in Europe: The Window of Opportunity Is Closing
By Sally McNamara and Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1966)
Despite a number of positive signals regarding America’s plan to field a U.S. missile defense system in Europe, two setbacks now threaten the possibility of ...

 

April 28, 2008
Congress Should Fund Development of Air-to-Air Missile Defense Technology
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1904)
Congress should make certain that development of the Network Centric Airborne Defense Element interceptor continues into the 2009 fiscal year. Assuming continued interceptor success on ...

 

March 10, 2008
President Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative Proposal 25 Years Later: A Better Path Chosen
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1841)
President Reagan's visionary proposal for a missile defense system was based on principles that remain valid today.

 

February 22, 2008
Satellite Shootdown Was a Necessary Operation
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1823)
The Bush Administration made an appropriate executive decision to protect human life, property, and the environment.

 

February 8, 2008
International Missile Defense: Washington and Warsaw's Postive Step Toward Final Agreement
By Sally McNamara and Peter Brookes
(WebMemo #1803)
A comprehensive missile defense system would offer protection to America, its forward deployed troops, and its allies.

 

November 6, 2007
Missile Defense: Debunking Arguments Against the Third Site in Eastern Europe
By Sally McNamara, Baker Spring, and Peter Brookes
(WebMemo #1694)
Policymakers must show the resolve and leadership necessary to move forward with a system that is critical to the national security of the United States ...

 

October 16, 2007
Criticizing Success? The Test of the Long-Range Missile Defense System
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1664)
Congress should reject agenda-driven technical analysis and adopt a straight-forward policy of building the most effective missile defense system possible.

 

October 12, 2007
The Polish Elections: Implications for the Washington-Warsaw Alliance
By Sally McNamara
(WebMemo #1662)
The composition of Warsaw's next government will carry implifications for missile defense and the War on Terrorism.

 

September 6, 2007
Congressional Appropriators Should Not Undercut U.S. Negotiators on Missile Defense in Europe
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1599)
The House acts to undercut U.S. negotiations with Russia on missile defense.

 

June 18, 2007
Keep Missile Defense on Track in the Senate
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1511)
The Senate should scrap two provisions in its Defense Authorization bill that would block space-based missile defenses and impose unreasonable delays on fielding a missile ...

 

June 7, 2007
Putin's Missile Defense Proposal Leaves Key Questions Unanswered
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1493)
A new openness on the part of Russia to missile defense in Europe? Perhaps.

 

April 25, 2007
The Next Steps for Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #2028)
Congress and the American people need to understand that, despite recent progress in putting missile defense systems in the field, the U.S. remains largely vulnerable ...

 

February 6, 2007
The Still Enduring Features of the Debate Over Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #2004)
The debate over missile defense has shifted from whether missile defense should be pursued as a matter of principle to whether deploying such a defense ...

 

February 1, 2007
A Successful Test Shows the Way Forward on Missile Defense
By Peter Brookes and Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1335)
A big step forward for the U.S.'s leverage against hostile regimes that would develop ballistic missiles. 

 

January 24, 2007
State of the Union 2007: What the President Should Have Said on Missile Defense
By Peter Brookes and Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1328)
Despite the deployment of launchers in Alaska and California for dealing with the North Korean nuclear and missile threat, more work needs to be done ...

 

September 22, 2006
Congress Should Act on Directed-Energy Defenses That Could Protect Israel from Hezbollah's Short-Range Rockets
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
(WebMemo #1220)
If Congress acts fast, these defenses could be deployed in time to make a difference.

 

July 20, 2006
Defanging Hezbollah: A Directed Energy Defense Could Help
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D., and David D. Gentilli
(WebMemo #1169)
Hezbollah's Katyusha rocket attacks have killed and wounded dozens of Israelis, destroyed property, and sent thousands to bomb shelters. They threaten to plunge the entire ...

 

June 21, 2006
Countering North Korea's Missiles: The Missile Defense System the U.S. Should Have
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1138)
The U.S. needs to intensify its efforts in building a missile defense system.

 

June 13, 2006
Ten Years Later, a Successful Demonstration of a Sea-Based Terminal Defense Against Ballistic Missiles
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1125)
In 1995, The Heritage Foundation's Missile Defense Study Team proposed to Congress a comprehensive plan for developing and deploying an effective global defense against ballistic ...

 

May 18, 2006
Nuclear India and the Non-Proliferation Treaty
By Dana R. Dillon and Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1935)
The Bush Administration's initiative to sell civilian nuclear technology to India will have a lasting effect on the international nonproliferation regime. To deal with the ...

 

April 28, 2006
The Viability of Directed-Energy Weapons
By Alane Kochems and Andrew Gudgel
(Backgrounder #1931)
The armed services need to move from just saying that directed-energy weapons are a good idea to fully supporting their development, and the Defense Department ...

 

April 26, 2006
Congress Must Expand the Nation's "Limited Defensive Capability" Against Ballistic Missiles
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #1049)
In March 9 testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Lieutenant General Henry A. Obering, the Director of the Missile Defense Agency, stated that his ...

 

March 11, 2005
Canada's Self-Defeating Decision on Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #683)
Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin announced on February 24th that his government had decided not to enter into an agreement with the United States to ...

 

August 4, 2004
CBO's Cost Estimate for Boost-Phase Missile Defenses Should Not Lead Congress To Terminate These Programs
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #552)
Since boost-phase programs are all in the development phase, it is impossible to determine their advantages or their precise costs.

 

August 2, 2004
The Use of Directed-Energy Weapons to Protect Critical Infrastructure
By Jack Spencer and James Jay Carafano, Ph.D.
(Backgrounder #1783)
America's critical infrastructure is increasingly vulnerable to the threat of precise, airborne missile attack. Directed-energy weapons (DEWs) can help protect against these threats. Congress and ...

 

June 23, 2004
"International Smuggling Networks: Weapons of Mass Destruction Counterproliferation Initiatives"
By Baker Spring
(Testimony )
The policy of the United States for combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction has rested on four pillars. 

 

April 9, 2004
National Security Isn't Just about Terrorism
By James A. Phillips
(WebMemo #472)
A myopic, single-issue defense policy would leave the nation vulnerable. Fortunately, however, the federal government is fully capable of doing more than one task at ...

 

February 20, 2004
President Bush Strikes the Proper Balance on Non-Proliferation Policy
By Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1728)
As President Bush pursues arms control diplomacy, Congress must not support least-common-denominator solutions that would undermine effective diplomacy and jeopardize U.S. security. Arms control is ...

 

February 4, 2004
Use New Acquisition Procedures for Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #414)
Senator Jack Reed recommens that Congress put off funding a limited missile defense. His objections are misguided.

 

October 15, 2003
China and the Battlefield in Space
By Dr. Larry M. Wortzel
(WebMemo #346)
Military thinkers in China are probably correct--the weaponization of space is inevitable.  The communications and reconnaissance satellites in orbit have already militarized space.  Probably the ...

 

August 14, 2003
Facts About the Shoulder-Fired Missile Threat
By James Jay Carafano, Ph.D. and Jack Spencer
(WebMemo #328)
New concern over the safety of citizens' air travel in an environment of terrorist threat was ignited with the August 12 successful interception of an ...

 

May 7, 2003
Keeping Missile Defense at the Heart of Defense Transformation
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #874)
Fielding an effective global missile defense system is a pressing need because ballistic missile defense programs are lagging behind the emerging missile threat.

 

April 10, 2003
Ten Principles for Combating Nuclear Proliferation
By Baker Spring
(Heritage Lecture #783)
The prospect of nuclear weapons in the hands of unpredictable rogue states and terrorist groups makes a damage limitation strategy one of the few viable ...

 

February 28, 2003
No Defense for Criticism on Missile Defense Testing
By Baker Spring
(WebMemo #215)
Questions whether the criticisms leveled at the missile defense system are motivated by policy considerations and not on the basis of concern about whether the ...

 

February 21, 2003
Congress Should Commend Britain on Missile Defense Radar Upgrade
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #861)
Congress should commend the British government for taking this courageous step through statements by individual Members and the adoption of a sense-of-Congress resolution...

 

October 18, 2002
North Korea and the End of the Agreed Framework
By Balbina Y. Hwang, Larry M. Wortzel, Ph.D., and Baker Spring
(Backgrounder #1605)
North Korea's admission of its nuclear weapons program was no surprise to the Bush Administration. Washington must respond with strength by instituting a combination of ...

 

September 9, 2002
Missile Nonproliferation and Missile Defense
By Henry Sokolski
(Heritage Lecture #761)
hl761: Missile Nonproliferation and Missile Defense

 

June 20, 2002
A Report on Missile Defense Tests
By The Heritage Foundation
(WebMemo #114)
In the past two years there have been 11 tests of various types of missile defense systems in which an intercept was a possibility. Of ...

 

June 3, 2002
Why the Time Is Right for a Free Trade Agreement with Taiwan
By John J. Tkacik, Jr.
(Backgrounder #1557)
A free trade agreement between the U.S. and Taiwan would be a significant boon to American agricultural, manufacturing, and financial services exporters. It must ensure ...

 

May 31, 2002
Don't Let Politics or Bureaucracy Hobble Missile Defense
By Baker Spring
(Executive Memorandum #817)
Members of Congress should not consider steps that would undermine the efforts of Secretary Rumsfeld to enable the MDA to proceed aggressively toward missile defense. ...

 

May 6, 2002
Beyond the Axis of Evil: Additional Threats from Weapons of Mass Destruction
By The Honorable John R. Bolton
(Heritage Lecture #743)
Experience has shown that treaties and agreements are an insufficient check against state sponsors of terrorism. Noncompliance can undermine the efficacy and legitimacy of these ...

 

March 4, 2002
How to Interpret the CBO Report
By Baker Spring and Jack Spencer
(Executive Memorandum #803)
Accurate assessments of the cost of missile defense can be made only once a decision is made about the actual architecture the Administration will pursue. ...

 

 
 
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