Once-Divisive U.S. Missile Defense System Now Widely Accepted

General James Cartwright

Missile defense has become a main stream issue that is supported by both sides of the aisle in Washington. Seventeen years after Ronald Reagan’s infamous “Star Wars” speech, missile defense has come a long way.  Today, missile defense has become an essential part of the United States and  an idea deeply entrenched in the Defense Department and championed by the Democratic Congress and White House.

Forget “Star Wars,” the futuristic, space-based missile-defense system envisioned by President Ronald Reagan in a speech 17 years ago this week.

Then, the very idea of constructing a high-tech — and highly expensive — shield against incoming Soviet intercontinental ballistic missiles plunged military strategists and politicians into a divisive debate over its feasibility.

Cold War Finale Made Missile Defense Possible

Ashton Carter, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics

Ashton Carter, the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, Carter spoke at the 8th Annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference and stated that missile defense would not have been started without the ending of the Cold War.  He went on to talk about Reagan and Clinton’s role in missile defense and stated that now; missile defense is a cornerstone of American defense.

The end of the Cold War made effective missile defense possible, Ashton Carter, the undersecretary of Defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, said here yesterday.

Carter spoke at the 8th Annual U.S. Missile Defense Conference at the Ronald Reagan Building. The site of the conference is significant as Reagan was the first U.S. president in a generation to push for an effective missile defense system.