Updated March 2021 The Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty was an agreement between the United States and the Soviet Union that limited the number of ground-based anti-ballistic missile systems and sites that each side could have. Both parties also agreed not to develop sea-based, air-based, or space-based ABM systems. After the fall of the Soviet Union, […]
Fact Sheet: Ballistic vs. Cruise Missiles
Ballistic missiles are powered initially by a rocket or series of rockets in stages, but then follow an unpowered trajectory that arches upwards before descending to reach its intended target. Ballistic missiles can carry either nuclear or conventional warheads. There are four general classifications of ballistic missiles based on their range, or the maximum distance […]
Fact Sheet: An Introduction to Ballistic Missile Defense
Click here for a printable PDF version. The U.S. has developed and deployed a number of systems in an attempt to defend the U.S. homeland, troops and facilities abroad, and allies against ballistic missile attacks. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) System, originally referred to as “National Missile Defense”, is intended for defense of the U.S. […]
Ask an Expert: Philip Coyle on National Missile Defense
(Click here for a printable version of this interview) In this installment of Ask an Expert, staff at the Center for Arms Control & Non-Proliferation spoke with Philip Coyle about the U.S. National Missile Defense program. Coyle, who is a Senior Science Fellow at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, has a wealth of […]
