Deterrence or Defense? Missile Defense Simulation

Simulation of missile attack on the United States. Explore missile defense systems in scenarios of your choice. Decide whether the best US policy is deterrence or defense. The simulation of nuclear attack and missile defense requires JavaScript. If you are seeing this text, then either your Web browser does not support JavaScript, or it has JavaScript disabled. Please upgrade your browser or enable JavaScript.

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Deterrence or Defense?
"Speak softly and carry a big stick." President Theodore Roosevelt In 2002 the United States withdrew from the ABM Treaty and announced plans to build missile defenses. Intercontinental ballistic missiles were first deployed in 1958. In succeeding years both the US and USSR built thousands of these weapons. Nuclear missiles were recognized as a threat even in 1945 at the dawn of the nuclear age.	"Today's world requires a new policy." President George W. Bush Signed in 1972, the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty was one of several agreements to limit the arms race. In it the US and USSR agreed to rely only on offensive forces to deter attacks.

For more than 50 years, deterrence has been the policy of the nuclear powers. Is it time for a new policy? Can defenses stop nuclear attacks? The simulation on these pages is designed to help answer these questions. Simulate an attack, using scenarios of your choice. Decide for yourself whether the best policy is deterrence or defense.

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