National Missile Defense and the Future of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
National Missile Defense and the Future of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy
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Date
2001
Authors
Fetter, Steve
Glaser, Charles L.
Advisor
Citation
Charles L. Glaser and Steve Fetter, “National Missile Defense and the Future of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy,” International Security, Vol. 26, No. 1 (Summer 2001), pp. 40-92
DRUM DOI
Abstract
If U.S. national missile
defense (NMD) were only about countering ballistic missiles deployed by
rogue states, then whether to deploy limited NMD would be a “normal” national
security issue. The military-technical question would concern feasibility:
Would the missile defense work against the small missile forces that a few
states may eventually deploy? The military-political questions would concern
the risks to the United States of being vulnerable to rogue-state missiles and
the amount Washington should be willing to pay for insurance against these
risks.
What makes NMD special is its unavoidable connection to U.S. strategic nuclear
policy and to the United States’ political relationships with Russia and
China.