Space-Based Missile Defense: Still Grounded

March 2018 No Comments

Space-Based Missile Defense: Still Grounded

Speaker: Hitchens, T. (Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland [CISSM])

Date: 29 March 2018

Speaker Session Preview

SMA hosted a speaker session presented by Ms. Theresa Hitchens (Center for International and Security Studies at Maryland [CISSM]) as a part of its SMA Space Speaker Series. Ms. Hitchens began by providing a history of US space-based missile defense. She then discussed the four categories of challenges to space-based missile defense (technical, practical, cost, and geostrategic) that have remained consistent since the creation of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI). To conclude the session, Ms. Hitchens explained that because of these challenges to space-based interception (SBI) as well as the unchanging, negative potential effects on nuclear deterrence and space security, space-based missile defenses are still a bad idea.