Deal Breakers or Speed Bumps? Missile Defenses and Russian-American Nuclear Arms Control

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ABSTRACTMissile defenses have been bones of contention in past arms control negotiations as between the United States and Russia. The likelihood is that ballistic missile defenses (BMD) for protection of the U.S. homeland or for the defense of regional allies in Europe and elsewhere will be of greater interest in view of their maturing technologies and emerging regional threats. On the other hand, the deployment of next generation missile defenses is not an isolated issue. From the standpoint of nuclear deterrence, missile defenses are embedded within a larger framework of emerging technologies, including those for conventional prompt global strike, for cyber warfare, and for the modernization of offensive strategic nuclear forces.