missile defense
Anti-projectile military network
Missile defense refers to military systems designed to detect, track, and destroy incoming missiles before they reach their targets.
Such systems range from short-range interceptors protecting specific sites to nationwide networks intended to defeat intercontinental ballistic missiles.
The technology remains controversial both for its enormous cost and for debates about whether it can reliably stop sophisticated attacks.
The country invested billions in missile defense after tensions escalated.
- interceptor missilesWeapons that neutralize airborne threats
- radarRadio-wave object detection
- decoysObjects meant to mislead
- deterrencePrevention via threatened consequences
- nuclear umbrellaAllied atomic defense guarantee
THAAD · infrared sensors · interceptor · surface-to-air missiles · early warning systems · ballistic missiles · Iron Dome · shoot down · radar systems · threat assessment · aegis · arms race · rogue state · patriot · Pentagon · kinetic · Star Wars program · nuclear
- defensedefending, protecting, protection, security, safety
- defendersdefender, guard, protector, guardian, keeper
- defenseswall, walls, fence, gate, barrier
- naval warfarenaval battles, naval battle, battleship, destroyer, sea battles
- critical systemsavionics, flight control, pacemakers, life support, nuclear reactors
- defense researchDARPA, weapons labs, military research, weapons testing, naval research
missile defenseballistic missile
Self-propelled arcing munition
ICBM · preemptive strike · cruise missile · nuclear warhead · first strike
missile defensearms control
Regulating weapons between nations
disarmament · nuclear nonproliferation · nuclear freeze · détente · arms limitation
missile defensemutual assured destruction
Reciprocal annihilation prevents war
MAD · balance of terror · arms control · disarmament · nonproliferation