Missile Defense and the Strategic Dilemma

Missile defense has become a significant topic for military planners and politicians due to conflicts in the Middle East and the Ukraine War. Israel has been the focal point, while Europe is developing its own anti-missile system, the European Sky Shield Initiative. The United States is working on creating the Golden Dome system to protect itself. The first anti-missile system was the U.S. Army Nike Hercules, developed in 1958. The Soviet Union developed its first anti-missile system in 1956, leading to the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. The strategic dilemma of overcoming a defensive system with greater offensive capabilities remains unresolved, even with advanced technology. The U.S. continued its pursuit of missile defense, pursuing various anti-missile systems, including the Ground Based Mid-Course Defense (GMD) system, THAAD, Patriot PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles, and Aegis-based SM-3 and SM-6 missiles.

The U.S. has been working on developing integrated missile defense systems, but the strategic dilemmas from the 1950s to 1970s remain unresolved. Israel has established an integrated missile defense system, while the U.S. has deployed various weapons with anti-missile capabilities. Despite advancements in technology, advanced anti-missile interceptors are expensive and have longer production times compared to standard intermediate and long-range missiles. The solution to countering missile defense lies in increasing offensive capabilities to overwhelm the system. The Golden Dome and European Sky Shield Initiative are expected to cost more than $175 billion, and the U.S. and Europe may want to focus on effective civil defense, infrastructure hardening, and increased offensive capabilities for deterrence rather than a system that nearly guarantees a strategic arms race.