Trump wants to set new standards in missile defense

DOnald Trump enters the footsteps of Ronald Reagan's defense policy. The president of the United States plans to present a revised missile defense strategy for his country against leading Pentagon military officers this Thursday. The document represents the first reform of American missile doctrine in nine years: a Washington Post article discusses the largest and most mature plans from Reagan's "Star Wars" initiative.

It refers to the "Strategic Defense Initiative" (SDI), with which the former president of the United States wanted to build a system of weapons at the forefront of the Cold War to repel Soviet missiles even before a possible impact on American soil. At that time billions of investments were planned in the development of laser cannons, reconnaissance satellites and high-performance computers, as well as in large-scale research projects, such as the use of artificial intelligence. With the collapse of the Soviet Union, the program was finally frozen – also because there were no successes that justified the high investment.

Meanwhile, however, the United States is facing new challenges. The Washington Post mentions the progress made by Iran and North Korea in the development of ballistic missiles and new weapon systems from Russia and China as the main threats to the security of the United States and its allies in Europe and in Asia. Trump's answer: a request for new investments in all areas of missile defense technology.

The vote of the Congress?

According to the newspaper, this should include a network of sensors on the ground, which tracks rocket movements after their launch. In addition, the Pentagon recommends a study on weapons that can launch missiles in space.

Therefore, the new is also the focal point of missile defense. For years, priority has been given to protecting America from attacks by enemy states such as North Korea and Iran. The Trump administration intends to maintain it, but adds more attention to protecting American troops and their allies in Europe and Asia from missile attacks in their respective regions.

It is not clear if the government will also have money for their missile defense plans. The strategy must first be approved by the Congress. The Reagan Defense Initiative was highly unpopular due to its questionable results and high costs; Meanwhile, there's a lot more support for a stronger missile defense in Congress, especially since North Korea first tested an ICBM in 2017.