Fabian Hoffmann
Writing about missile technology and nuclear strategy often involves making implicit or explicit assumptions about missile defense. Many disagreements about what missile defense can or cannot achieve, whether in conventional or nuclear scenarios, stem from differences in these underlying assumptions.
Especially strategic missile defense, which is designed to intercept strategic nuclear warheads, is poorly understood outside expert circles. This is not a criticism of the general public; strategic missile defense is a very complex issue that encompasses not only technical considerations but also a wide range of political factors. This post aims to provide a short and hopefully accessible introduction to the topic.
Technical challenges
Strategic missile defense systems are designed to intercept incoming strategic nuclear warheads, typically deployed from intercontinental-range ballistic missiles (ICBMs). These warheads descend from very high exo-atmospheric altitudes, sometimes several thousand kilometers above the Earth’s surface.
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