Defending the United States: Revisiting National Missile Defense against North Korea

Abstract North Korea has made significant strides in its attempt to acquire a strategic nuclear deterrent. In 2017, it tested intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and completed series of test explosions. These may provide with the technical foundation deploy nuclear-armed ICBM capable striking United States. The Ground-based Midcourse Defense (GMD) missile defense system is intended deter Korean coercion and, if deterrence fails, defeat limited attack. Despite two decades dedicated costly efforts, however, GMD remains unproven unreliable. It not demonstrated an ability relatively simple inexpensive countermeasures that can field. suffered persistent delays, substantial cost increases, repeated program failures because politically motivated rush 1990s. But other U.S. efforts have provoked serious concerns Russia China, who fear threaten their deterrents. Diplomacy reassure China while constraining Korea's program. An alternate airborne boost-phase intercept offer meaningful against without threatening Russian or Chinese