Nuclear Proliferation

Andrew Jackson’s farewell address to the nation, he stated, “We shall more certainly preserve peace when it is well understood that we are prepared for war,” (Political Quotations #3719). The United States has always throughout history been a major military power from the use of abnormal tactics during the Revolutionary War (1776) to the use of its technology and advanced weapons in the Persian Gulf War (1991). After World War II and the Cold War Era, the United States has been able to defend its citizens from any form of a military attack from the sea, air, and the ground on the eastern and western seaboards. With the development of the intercontinental ballistic missiles, the United States was now unable to protect the citizens from this new form of military attack a missile with a chemical or nuclear warhead. In 1983, President Ronald Reagan called upon the men and women who developed the new form of the attack, used to force Japan into signing a peace treaty, to develop a strategic defense initiative also known as “Star Wars,” which proposed to defend the continental United States from a missile attack by intercepting it before reaching its intended target. Today seventeen years after President Ronald Reagan’s speech, the United States is still unable to intercept and destroy any incoming missiles. With the slit and financial problems of the former Soviet Union States the United States now has to worry about the Russian government selling their arsenal of nuclear and chemical weapons to other nations around the world. In order to preserve its national security from ballistic missiles, the United States should proceed with its plans for the National Missile Defense System to protect its citizens from these attacks.

The Concept of a National Missile Defense System began with President Ronald Reagan’s 1983 speech. During his speech, he called for an impenetrable shield that would protect the entire United States from a ballistic missile attack (Kitfield 111-112). Shortly after President Ronald Reagan’s speech the United States and former Soviet Union States signed the Anti Ballistic Missile Treaty, which prohibits any such systems as the National Missile Defense System. Dale Grant of the Toronto Star stated that “Ronald Reagan sketched out a futuristic concept of a orbital defenses able to attack Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) from the moment of launch to just before impact on the target,” (D 1+). Ronald Reagan brought the concept of a national missile defense system but had no way to build it because of the lack of available technology. Then during the Persian Gulf War the Patriot Missile System was used to shoot down Iraq’s SCUD missiles flying towards other nations. (Kitfield 119-121). The system’s history started in 1983 with Ronald Reagan’s speech, but was only used during the 1991 Persian Gulf War in a reduced in the form, of the Patriot Missile system to defend nation of Israel.

The American people feel the system is unnecessary for the protection of the mainland United States. The United States is currently unable of intercepting a ballistic missile warhead once it has been deployed against the United States (Freeman 37+). Along with these threats from the former Soviet Union States the United States now has to worry about such “Rogue nations” like North Korea, Iran and Iraq. During the 1990’s, some experts believed that it would take such “rogue nations” at least a decade to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of reaching the continental United States. (Kitfield 111-112). Paul Freeman reported “Most Americans, however, believe that there is adequate capability of defend their homeland against a ballistic missile attack. (37+). The American people do not believe that these “rogue nations” have the capability to destroy American cities. The threat is there the question is not there capably but their willingness to use nuclear or chemical weapons against the United States.

Along with the American people, the world’s opinion and Antiballistic Missile Treaty are holding the United States back from the development of the National Missile Defense System The government’s plans to erect a satellite controlled national missile defense system to protect against “rogue nations” ballistic missiles in fear of inciting a Cold War in Asia. (Martinson 1.2+) Opponents of the system point to the ban of such systems by the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. (A Correct Call to Delay Missile Defense. A6+). The Antiballistic Missile Treaty was first in a series of reduction agreements between the former Soviet Union and the United States, and also provided the global framework for gradual elimination of weapons of mass destruction. (Grant D1+, “A Correct Call to Delay Missile Defense A6+). Nevertheless, Jane Perlez of the New York Times reported that “Some experts argue that the Antiballistic Missile Treaty