What’s Missing in the 2019 Missile Defense Review
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By Vaughn Standley
January 26, 2019
What’s Missing in the 2019 Missile Defense Review
U.S. Air Force Photo by Rob Ratkowski
The most important argument in the 2019 Missile Defense Review (MDR) is that missile defenses stabilize nuclear deterrence because they can obviate retaliatory or offensive nuclear strikes. To this end, the MDR recognizes that space-based defenses offer the best chance of destroying missiles in their vulnerable boost phase. The MDR goes on to recognize that laser technology possesses the potential to destroy missiles at the earliest moment of boost phase. Despite this, there is no mention of an intent to field laser defenses in space, only on airborne platforms. The reason for this incongruity is clear: the MDR fails to address space nuclear power.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2019/01/26/whats_missing_in_the_2019_missile_defense_review_114138.html
