Ballistic Missile Defense

Ballistic Missile Defense is currently a highly controversial issue that raises questions about strategic stability. In June 2002, the United States withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty of 1972, which has prohibited national missile defense for over thirty years. Following abrogation of the ABM Treaty, in December 2002, the US administration announced a plan to deploy a national missile defense system by 2004. The missile defense system would, in theory, protect the US and some allies from an incoming intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). This section provides both pro and con global perspectives on ballistic missile defense deployment.