Policy Analyst Geoff Wilson spoke with Defense Daily about a recent Air Force test of an unarmed Intercontinental Ballistic Missile with three test reentry vehicles.
“Since the United States does not MIRV its ICBMs, showing that it [the Aug. 4 test] is part of a standard pattern could allay any concerns that the United States was trying to send a message,” Geoff Wilson, a policy analyst with the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, wrote in an email. “At the same time, there are not prohibitions on MIRVing missiles under New START. The treaty limits the total amount of warheads that can be placed on a set number of deployed launchers. START II, negotiated by the administration of former President George H.W. Bush, did prohibit MIRVing on ICBMs, but that treaty never entered into force.” Read more
