1. US Missile Defense
The Washington Times reported that Texas Governor George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore elaborated their positions on the national missile defense (NMD) system. Gore said that his highest priority would be to preserve the 1972 ABM Treaty, and he would seek to deploy a system that would require the fewest changes to the treaty. Bush, however, embraced a sea-based anti-missile system that could shoot down ballistic missiles before they have released their warheads and decoys. He would also terminate self-imposed testing restrictions that limit the speed and range of the Navy's interceptor missiles and that preclude the sea-based system from using space-based sensors. [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense's Early Bird news service for July 20, 2000.]
"Two Visions Of NMD"
Ivo H. Daalder, Senior Fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution, argued that US President Clinton's straddling the national missile defense system issue is the right decision given the "uncertainties about the evolving threat and technology." Daalder stated, "if politics abroad and technological setbacks at home continue, it may still be some time before there is a decision to deploy a system." The Coalition to Reduce Nuclear Dangers and the Council for a Livable World Education Fund have updated "Pushing the Limits: The Decision on National Missile Defense." The briefing book recommends alternative defenses against a missile attack and ways to minimize the threat.
"Pushing the Limits: The Decision on National Missile Defense"
"The Domestic Politics of National Missile Defense"
The Heritage Foundation published an article by Jack Spencer and Joe Dougherty, in which they argue that the US has finally moved beyond "mutually assured destruction" as a nuclear policy with the impending National Missile Defense (NMD) system. However, rather than using President Clinton's expensive land-based system which abrogates the 1972 ABM Treaty and threatens the PRC and Russia, the US should deploy a sea-based NMD which incorporates the US Navy's Aegis cruisers and adds increased opportunities to destroy missiles. The article also says that the US is "dumbing down" the system it is developing when it could develop a more robust system.
"The Quickest Way to Global Missile Defense: First from the Sea"