A photo on the home page shows a US Peacekeeper missile, courtesy of the US Air Force. The Peacekeeper missile is part of the US nuclear deterrent. Enemies are deterred from making a nuclear attack, knowing any attack would be met with an overwhelming response.

An alternative to deterrence would be to prevent attacks by building defensive systems. The first image on the home page is a diagram of a proposed missile defense system. Because most nuclear weapons are delivered by ballistic missiles, such systems are called ballistic missile defenses.

Advocates of deterrence argue that defensive systems don't work. They point out that deterrence has worked for 50 years. They argue that missile defenses will destabilize the balance of power, causing a new arms race, and will violate the ABM treaty.

Advocates of missile defenses argue that they can work. They claim defenses are essential to prevent attacks by rogue nations such as North Korea and Iran. Also, that defenses could stop accidental launches by larger powers such as Russia and China.

The simulation on these pages is designed to help you explore these issues. Is our best defense a strong offense? Or can we build systems to protect the US from missile attack?

Click "Back" to return to the Deterrence or Defense home page. Click "Attack" to simulate an attack.