His lengthy speech calls for a global system and advocates scrapping a conflicting treaty with Russia. Deep skepticism from allies and critics is dismissed. This is an important opportunity for the world to rethink the unthinkable and to find new ways to keep the peace. The proposal faces opposition from crucial NATO allies and drew questions from members of Congress uneasy about abrogating the ABM treaty before there is any assurance the weapon system will work. Deterrence can no longer be based solely on the threat of nuclear retaliation.
Defenses can strengthen deterrence by reducing the incentive for proliferation.
The treaty, the focus of great controversy when it was enacted in 1972, prohibited the Soviet Union and the United States from building weapons that would counter the threat posed by intercontinental ballistic missiles, capable of spanning half the globe in 30 minutes with a payload of nuclear warheads. This treaty ignores the fundamental breakthroughs and technology during the last 30 years. Tuesday morning, he spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir V. Putin. I told him the Cold War is over and that Russia is not our enemy. It's preferable technologically.