Third Anniversary of ABM Treaty Withdrawal Notice
December 13, 2004 :: News
On December 13, 2001, President Bush gave formal notice to Russia that the U.S. would be withdrawing from the 1972 ABM Treaty. Six months later, on June 13, 2002, the United States officially withdrew, as provided by the treaty itself.
Today, three years after notice was given, the first elements of a system have been put into place for what should, someday, come to provide a truly national and strategic defense. Six interceptors are in silos in Alaska and, as of Friday, one at Vandenberg AFB here in California. Although Bill Gertz indicated in yesterday’s Washington Times that the system had formally been operationally deployed, this is not yet the case. In the coming weeks, however, one may expect such an announcement to take place, as well as another test of the system (Integrated Flight Test-13C, or IFT-13C), the first such test in two years. (Link)
» More stories on: ABM Treaty, Deployment
Moran on Kerry’s Record Against Missile Defense
June 2, 2004 :: National Review Online :: Analysis
Robert Moran, writing at National Review Online, documents a few of the many times presidential candidate John Kerry has opposed missile defense. His recent speech saying that the United States must do everything it can to prevent nuclear terrorism will be a tough sell, given his record.
Also worth noting, however, is that John Kerry has devoted some considerable time to the subject of missile defense, and making sure the United States does not deploy one. On May 1, 2001, President Bush gave one of his most important speeches on missile defense, outlining why the United States should, and would, withdraw from the outdated ABM Treaty of 1972, which made missile defense illegal. On the very next day, Kerry responded with a long and articulate response, about the need to preserve the ABM Treaty. The long and short of it was the need to preserve mutually assured destruction. (More »»»)
» May 1, 2001: President Bush at National Defense University
» May 2, 2001: John Kerry’s response to Bush
» Other major speeches on missile defense
» More stories on: ABM Treaty, Analysis, Policy
Grant on BMD and America’s Founding Principles
March 10, 2004 :: The Claremont Institute :: Writings
Claremont Institute Fellow John Grant reminds us why our founding principles require us to defend against ballistic missile attack. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: ABM Treaty, Analysis, Policy
Aegis BMD May Be Deployed By Early 2005
February 25, 2004 :: National Defense :: News
According to the March issue of National Defense magazine, the Navy is preparing to put Aegis crusiers’ missile defense systems on alert by early 2005. The Navy’s current plan is said to be the deployment of three Aegis ships armed with interceptors capable of destroying short- and medium-range enemy ballistic missiles in their midcourse phase above the atmosphere. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: ABM Treaty, Policy, Sea-Based Systems
» Missile system details for: Aegis Ship-Based BMD
Kennedy on the ABM Withdrawal
June 15, 2002 :: The Claremont Institute :: Analysis
Claremont Institute President Brian Kennedy on President George W. Bush’s announcement that the United States is withdrawing from the ABM Treaty. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: ABM Treaty, Analysis, Policy
ABM Not to be Re-Negotiated
February 19, 2002 :: U.S. Department of State :: News
Undersecretary of State John Bolton indicated to reporters in Moscow that the White House has no plans to implement a post-ABM treaty accord when the United States officially withdraws from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile treaty this June:
“Well, we’ve just been through an extensive exercise with the Russians where we sought to find a mutually acceptable way to move beyond the constraints of the ABM Treaty. And we were not able to achieve that objective and the United States has announced its withdrawal. Having gone through that very elaborate process, I can assure you we are not about to begin a new process that would result in limits on our missile defense efforts.”
Bolton did however indicate the possibility of American cooperation with Moscow on missile defenses, which may be discussed in a May summit between the two countries. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: ABM Treaty, Policy
Bush Announcement of Intention to Withdraw from ABM Treaty
December 13, 2001 :: The White House :: News
Speaking in the Rose Garden with Vladimir Putin at his side, President Bush announced that the United States would be giving formal notice to Russia to withdraw from the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty made with the Soviet Union.
Today, I have given formal notice to Russia, in accordance with the treaty, that the United States of America is withdrawing from this almost 30 year old treaty. I have concluded the ABM treaty hinders our government’s ability to develop ways to protect our people from future terrorist or rogue state missile attacks. The 1972 ABM treaty was signed by the United States and the Soviet Union at a much different time, in a vastly different world. One of the signatories, the Soviet Union, no longer exists. And neither does the hostility that once led both our countries to keep thousands of nuclear weapons on hair-trigger alert, pointed at each other. The grim theory was that neither side would launch a nuclear attack because it knew the other would respond, thereby destroying both.
(Article, Link)
» More stories on: ABM Treaty, Policy, Russia
Kennedy on U.S. Withdrawal from ABM Treaty
December 12, 2001 :: The Claremont Institute :: Analysis
Claremont Institute President Brian Kennedy praises Bush for announcing the withdrawal of the ABM Treaty, but also looks toward the long road ahead. (Article, Link)
» More stories on: ABM Treaty, Analysis, Policy
