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President Joe Biden's administration is conducting a missile defense review in parallel with its Nuclear Posture Review (NPR). Those reviews will determine whether to adjust the nuclear and missile defense [...]

Lawmakers in March approved a record increase in spending on U.S. ballistic missile defense programs amid concern about the significant progress North Korea made last year to advance its ballistic [...]

In a significant departure from longstanding U.S. policy, lawmakers voted in December to expand the declared role of U.S. national ballistic missile defenses. The measure states that it shall be [...]

A key element of implementing a national missile defense system will be to alleviate the international strategic mistrust the US has sown by its questioning of the Anti-Ballistic Missile regime.

For two years the UN Conference on Disarmament has been in limbo, with basic agreement on a broad agenda, but unable to pass a program of work that could lead to formal negotiations on any issue. US permanent representative Ambassador Robert T. Grey says nonaligned nations, and China's desire for outer space restrictions, slowed the conference in 2000.

George W. Bush and Al Gore respond to 12 quetions centering on the Arms Control Association's concerns, including: nuclear weapons control; and national missile defense and its effects on US-Russia relations.

It will be difficult for the Clinton administration to take action on some important issues in 2000, as it is an election year. This could prompt Clinton to make the disastrous decision to deploy a national missile defense (NMD) and abandon the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty if it proves impossible to reach an agreement with Russian on treaty changes. It is quite likely that the Republican presidential candidate will use hesitation on NMD against the Democrats. This may mean that Clinton feels he must support deployment simply to protect the Democratic presidential candidate. Ordinary Americans are not strongly in favour of missile defenses, and recognizing this could make it easier for Clinton to delay a deployment decision.

House Democrats and Republicans continue to press the Defense Department to designate a preferred location for a third long-range ballistic missile defense interceptor site. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told [...]

The unanimous Senate vote to approve the defense authorization bill that took place in the wake of the horrific September 11 terrorist attacks may have left many arms control advocates [...]

American foreign policy would be inalterably changed by deployment of a ballistic missile defense system. The international reaction to NMD indicates that the US faces diplomatic isolation if it acts unilaterally.

Among the possible negative outcomes of US national missile defense deployment are: increased Chinese nuclear missile development; China deciding that the US is an enemy and not an ally; Chinese international lobbying against the US; and closer China-Russia ties.

President Clinton was justified in delaying deployment of national missile defense system, because its technological infeasibility is destabilizing. The international diplomatic consequences are analyzed.

The Trump administration laid the groundwork to aggressively expand U.S. ballistic missile defense capabilities when it submitted an amendment to its fiscal year 2018 defense budget request. The supplemental request, [...]

SEEKING TO SHOW solidarity with the president after the September 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, congressional Democrats largely shelved legislative efforts to limit the Bush administration's ballistic [...]

Congress voted in December to drop a controversial proposal to build a new missile defense interceptor site on the U.S. East Coast, agreeing instead to spend more to fix problems [...]

Building on their progress on arms control and nonproliferation, President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev met at the White House June 24 and issued a joint statement saying [...]

The Bush administration's attempt to revive a study on a nuclear weapon designed to destroy targets buried deep underground has received a mixed welcome from lawmakers. Other Bush administration proposals [...]

The development of a limited national missile defense to protect the U.S. homeland may eventually require withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty, but now is not the time to [...]

Nations not initially favoring the US national missile defense plan are slowly warming to the idea once they are consulted. European allies and China, miffed that only Russia was consulted initially, are now less opposed.

The US is blunting criticism of NMD with a diplomatic wave of visits and reassurances that all allies, and China and Russia, will be consulted on the development and deployment of the system. A tentative Russian proposal to limit NMD to tactical missile systems was brushed off by the US.

Testimony before Congress by a variety of Clinton Administration officials explaining the president's Sept 1 decision to delay deployment of NMD is summarized.

The US and Russia reiterated support of basic arms control, nonproliferation, and non-first-use principles in a joint statement Sept 6, 2000. It also includes a pledge to talk about anti-ballistic missile defense and theater missile defense issues.

Clinton's decision not to deploy national missile defense angered domestic Republicans, but was generally well received internationally. Foreign leaders had warned of NMD's potential to weaken global nonproliferation.

Senior officials at the Pentagon have defended the Clinton administration's speedy decision to deploy a planned limited national missile defense system.

Myanmar (Burma) has been carrying out rudimentary steps toward developing nuclear weapons, a documentary released in June by an opposition group alleges. The documentary by the Democratic Voice of Burma [...]

This month, American and Russian leaders will try to resolve the decade-long impasse over further strategic nuclear reductions and the United States' national missile defense ambitions. The opportunity for an [...]

US Defense Sec Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz made several appearances and interviews advocating a multi-faceted anti-ballistic missile system. Rumsfeld called the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which limits defensive systems to land bases, 'ancient history'.

The Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and his deputy Paul Wolfowitz have expressed a preference for a layered missile defense program which would not be constrained by the provisions of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

National ballistic missile defense remains a priority of the Bush Administration, echoing its election year promises. Incoming Defense Sec. Donald H. Rumsfeld 's confirmation hearings testimony derided Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty of 1972 as 'ancient history'.

President-elect George W. Bush's nomination of Colin Powell (State), Donald Rumsfeld (Defense), and Condoleezza Rice (National Security Adviser) assures he will try to enact his campaign pledge to build a ballistic missile shield. He also nominated avowed Energy Dept foe ex-Sen. Spencer Abraham for Energy Secretary.

If the Bush administration persists in its election rhetoric about arms control, it will be perceived as a threat by Russia and as a destabilizing factor by the NATO.

President-elect George W. Bush has assembled a national security team that is set to support the building of effective missile defenses.

President Putin called for even larger mutual nuclear stockpile reductions, below the Russian target of 1,500 by 2008, in a Nov 13, 2000, policy statement. He also reiterated support for the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, promising to work on an acceptable theater-based defense system within the Treaty.

Russian president Vladimir Putin repeated an offer to reduce Russian nuclear warheads by 1,500, and hinted he would prefer an even higher number, along with a strengthening of the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty.

The disputed 2000 election will keep both Gore or Bush from having a mandate to advance the destabilizing, expensive national missile defense system supported by Bush. A thorough review of American policy is recommended.

Space weapons, missile defense systems, and disarmament were the main barriers to negotiation at the annual United Nations Conference on Disarmament. The roots of the Conference's fruitless Sept 21, 2000 adjournment are analyzed.

Presidential candidate George W. Bush denounced Pres Clinton's efforts to make a deal with Russia on amending the ABM Treaty. Bush and his advisers are strongly committed to deploying a missile defense system.