Arms Control, National & International Security 

Arms control and missile defense are once again at the forefront of the American national security agenda. Not surprisingly, the debate has broken down along well-worn lines. Arms control advocates dismiss the idea of missile defense as a dangerous and costly folly. Missile defense advocates argue that the U.S. should move aggressively to defend itself against missile attack. With clear and lively prose free of partisan rhetoric, Defending America provides reliable, factual analysis of the missile defense debate. Written for a general audience, it assesses the current and likely future missile threat to the United States, examines relevant technologies, and suggests how America's friends and foes would react to a decision to build a national missile defense. Lindsay and O'Hanlon reject calls for large-scale systems as well as proposals to do nothing, instead arguing for a limited national missile defense.  

"The authors provide a sound critique of the standard positions and hyperboles of both advocates and opponents, as well as an accessible primer on the types, advantages, and limitations of various systems and architectures.... Defending America provides as good a 'few years out' unclassified guide as you're likely to find." - The Washington Times "Even those readers who have made up their minds should find this book a useful compendium of information and analysis on an old topic." - Foreign Affairs - from Amzon 

CONTENTS


Chapter 1 Defending America ..................................................p. 1

Deja Vu All Over Again ................................................p. 3

Is the Third Time a Charm? ..........................................p. 7

Why Not Prevention, Preemption, and Deterrence? ........p. 17

Sensible Defense Means Limited Defense ........................p. 20

A Modest Proposal .......................................................p. 22

Chapter 2 Missile Defense: Concepts and Systems ................p. 29

Basic Elements of Ballistic Missiles ................................p. 29

The Trajectory of a Ballistic Missile ................................p. 32

Basic Types of Missile Defenses ................................p. 37

Types of Theater Missile Defenses ................................p. 41

Types of National Missile Defense ................................p. 43

Decoys and Other Countermeasures................................p. 46

Chapter 3 The Threat ...............................................................p. 50

A Growing Ballistic Missile Threat? ................................p. 51

Russia .......................................................................p. 52

China .......................................................................p. 56

North Korea, Iran, and Iraq ........................................p. 58

Other Emerging Ballistic Missile Powers .........................p. 74

Alternative Threats ........................................................p. 75

The Consequences of a Missile Attack .........................p. 79

Chapter 4 Missile Defense Programs and Architectures ..................p. 82

Midcourse Defense: The Clinton Administration Program .....p. 82

Larger Midcourse Defenses .........................................p. 99

Boost-Phase Defenses .................................................p. 105

Layered and Space-Based Systems ..................................p. 111

Conclusion .................................................................p. 115

Chapter 5 The International Politics of Missile Defense ...................p. 116

Russia .........................................................................p. 117

China .........................................................................p. 123

America's Friends and Allies ..........................................p. 130

South Asia .................................................................p. 137

No More Disarmament? ..................................................p. 139

Chapter 6 Missile Defense and American Security ...........................p. 142

A Limited, Two-Tier National Missile Defense
against "Rogue" Regimes ..........................................................p. 145

Selling a Limited, Two-Tier Defense Abroad ....................p. 156

Selling a Limited, Two-Tier Defense at Home ....................p. 162

Appendixes
A Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and Related Documents ............p. 169

B Excerpts from the DCI National Intelligence Estimate ............p. 193

C Excerpts from the 1998 Rumsfeld Commission Report ..........p. 197

D Excerpts from the 1999 National Intelligence Estimate .........p. 218

Notes .........................................................................p. 227

Index .........................................................................p. 247