Download

Download Full Text (665 KB)

Description

This Strategic Forum policy brief analyzes the operational and policy challenges associated with the initial deployment of U.S. ballistic missile defense (BMD) capabilities in 2004–2005. Moving beyond debates over whether missile defense should be deployed, the article examines how such systems would actually be used in crisis and conflict. It identifies seven major operational challenges: delegation of weapons release authority; allocation of limited interceptors; defining the roles of the President and Secretary of Defense during intercept operations; integration of offensive strike options with defensive systems; command responsibilities within the Department of Defense; balancing testing requirements with operational readiness; and establishing confidence-building mechanisms, particularly notification procedures to Russia, to prevent miscalculation. The brief argues that as missile defense evolves through spiral development, operational doctrine, command arrangements, and strategic guidance must evolve in parallel. Effective integration of missile defense into broader deterrence and strategic planning will be essential to managing both technical limitations and geopolitical risks.

Document Type

Policy Brief

Region(s)

United States

Topic(s)

Arms Control and Nonproliferation, Military Strategy, National Security

Publication Date

8-2004

Publication

Strategic Forum

Publisher

National Defense University Press

City

Washington, DC

Keywords

Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD), Ground-Based Midcourse Defense (GMD), Missile Defense Agency (MDA), U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), Weapons Release Authority, Strategic Command and Control, Offensive-Defensive Integration, Ballistic Missile Interceptors, Rogue State Missile Threats, North Korea Missile Threat, Iran Missile Program, Confidence-Building Measures, Russia Early Warning Systems, National Missile Defense Policy, Defense Policy Implementation

Deploying Missile Defense: Major Operational Challenges

Share

COinS