Missiles and Nuclear Weapons Around the World 36 Years Later
September 9th, 2008
President Ronald Reagan got the ball rolling on the development of the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) with his Strategic Defense Initiative in 1983. Twenty-five years after he proposed that the U.S. focus on strategic defense rather than offense, the number of countries with ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons has increased.
Thirty-six years ago (1972), nine countries had ballistic missile capability, including China, Germany, Russia, and the US. In 2007, over 20 countries had this capability, including India, Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey.
In 1972, only six countries could be described as nuclear states: China, France, Israel, Russia, the UK, and the US. In 2007, three countries were added to the list: India, North Korea, Pakistan.
Some of these countries are allies; others are not. It’s up the MDA to develop missile defense technology and to train a workforce committed to protecting us from foreign enemies.
1. The Missile Age 1972 (PDF)
2. The New Missile Age 2007 (PDF)