Regional Missile Defense from a Global Perspective [Paperback]

Regional Missile Defense from a Global Perspectiveexplains the origins, evolution, and implications of the regional approach to missile defense that has emerged since the presidency of George H. W. Bush, and has culminated with the missile defense decisions of President Barack Obama. The Obama administration's overarching concept for American missile defense focuses on developing both a national system of limited ground-based defenses, located in Alaska and California, intended to counter limited intercontinental threats, and regionally-based missile defenses consisting of mobile ground-based technologies like the Patriot PAC-3 system, and sea-based Aegis-equipped destroyer and cruisers.

The volume is intended to stimulate renewed debates in strategic studies and public policy circles over the contribution of regional and national missile defense to global security. Written from a range of perspectives by practitioners and academics, the book provides a rich source for understanding the technologies, history, diplomacy, and strategic implications of the gradual evolution of American missile defense plans. Experts and non-experts alikewhether needing to examine the offense-defense tradeoffs anew, to engage with a policy update, or to better understand the debate as it relates to a country or regionwill find this book invaluable. While it opens the door to the debates, however, it does not find or offer easy solutionsbecause they do not exist.

Regional Missile Defense from a Global Perspectiveis a must-read for legislators, foreign policy experts, and academics interested in missile defense public policy. Top experts provide analysis of the different levels of international ally and adversary military investment and integration, address the challenges posed by missile defense technical sophistication, and explain the geopolitical dynamics of nuclear and non-nuclear powers using missile defense to blur the lines between defensive and offenl£J