Defending America

"Missile defense has for several years now been one of the most important --and emotional --national security issues before the American people. Lindsay and O'Hanlon have taken this subject, daunting in its complexity, made it very understandable, and offered a reasonable approach to system deployment. Both for those holding firmly to a particular position on the subject, and those who may still be uninitiated, this book is certain to be enlightening and instructive. " --General Brent Scowcroft, Former U.S. National Security Adviser "Defending America is exceptionally well-informed and balanced in its treatment of a topic too often left to partisans. This is the first comprehensive treatment of the missile defense debate that escapes from a Cold War formulation and situates this major current defense subject squarely in the 21st century. " --Ashton B. Carter, former Assistant U.S. Secretary of Defense

The authors provide a sound critique of the standard positions and hyperboles of both advocates and opponents, as well as an accessible primer on the types, advantages, and limitations of various systems and architectures.Arms control and missile defense are once again at the forefront of the American national security agenda. Not surprisingly, the debate has broken down along well-worn lines. Arms control advocates dismiss the idea of missile defense as a dangerous and costly folly. Missile defense advocates argue that the U.S. should move aggressively to defend itself against missile attack. With clear and lively prose free of partisan rhetoric, Defending America provides reliable, factual analysis of the missile defense debate. Written for a general audience, it assesses the current and likely future missile threat to the United States, examines relevant technologies, and suggests how America's friends and foes would react to a decision to build a national missile defense. Lindsay and O'Hanlon reject calls for large-scale systems as well as proposals to do nothing, instead arguing for a limited national missile defense.