The NMD Programme

For the past 40 years, the United States has been engaged in a mission to protect itself from ballistic missile attacks. During the 1960s they intended to use interceptors, which can carry nuclear warheads. In the 1980s the Reagan Administration embarked on a BMD (Ballistic Missile Defence) system to protect the United States from missile attacks. President Reagan envisioned an anti-missile protective 'umbrella' that would cover the entire United States, a concept that led to the Strategic Defence Initiative (SDI), often referred to as the 'Star Wars' initiative. But the program was aborted due to escalating costs, technical difficulties and the end of the Cold War.

On 23 July 1999, the US formalized the National Missile Defense Act stating its intention to deploy NMD (National Missile Defence). The threat to be countered was the possibility of a ballistic missile attack by proliferating states such as North Korea, Iran and Iraq.

The United States hopes that by 2005 it would be able to protect all 50 states against limited missile attacks. This would include 100 ground-based interceptors based in Alaska. Sensors would provide detection and tracking of incoming warheads. By 2010, the number of interceptors would be increased to about 250 along with more radars.

The US has spent over $40 billion dollars over the years in developing the technology for the proposed system. Actual deployment of the initial phase of the system is projected to total US $13 billion between 1999 and 2005. The costs associated with this project are only a small fraction compared to the astronomical costs associated with the Reagan-era Star Wars system. So the main area of contention is not the cost but the deployment of the system.

The testing standard for a system test previously was two successful intercept tests. But due to frequent failures it has been reduced to one successful intercept to justify deployment.

Another contentious point is the impact of NMD on arms control. NMD deployment will affect the ABM treaty, START II ratification and START III negotiations. China and Russia have voiced protests against deployment of NMD.

The Bush administration has made attainment of a NMD capability a central part of its defence policy. It has called for a comprehensive national missile defence system and the President has stated that 'now is not the time to defend outdated treaties (the ABM Treaty) but to defend the American people.'

The role of US allies in NMD remains unclear, but certainly the US would like to enlist as many as it can to support the program. Major political and strategic changes, numerous technological setbacks have not deterred the US from continuing to pursue a technology-based solution to the problem of a ballistic missile attack.