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Ronald Reagan’s Strategic Defense Initiative, 40 Years Later

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Forty years ago on March 23, President Ronald Reagan announced to the world his plans to develop a missile defense system that would make Soviet ballistic missiles “impotent and obsolete,” an effort in which The Heritage Foundation played a significant role. Yet, since Reagan established this Strategic Defense Initiative, plans for a comprehensive homeland missile defense system have deteriorated. Today, the U.S. only maintains about 44 ground-based interceptors meant to address the rogue state threat, with a codified policy against using homeland missile defenses to address the more sophisticated Russian and Chinese ballistic missile threats. As North Korea, Russia, China, and potentially Iran develop missiles capable of reaching the U.S. homeland at an unprecedented rate, this 40-year anniversary marks an important time to reevaluate the current state and future of homeland missile defense.

Join us to commemorate Reagan’s plans to defend the country and discuss options for the future of U.S. missile defense.

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