Initial reactions from Russia and other major countries were mixed. My goal is to move quickly to reduce nuclear forces. It enshrines the past. Bush did not mention specifics such as cost or timetable and left open what final form the system will take. He did say, however, that officials were looking at air, land and sea-based technology.
Critics say the system is costly and impotent.
In a later interview on CNN, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld justified Bush's announcement, in part, by citing China's build-up of missiles. They are not a party to the treaty. Rumsfeld was also in support of the anti-ballistic shield as a defense against rogue states. The ABM treaty's prescription against national missile defenses came from concerns that having one in place might tempt either the United States or the Soviet Union to launch a first strike and rely on the system to knock out the retaliatory strike. In opposition, Cold War deterrence depended on each side fearing that a first strike would result in mutual annihilation.