India carried out a successful test on Thursday of its longest-range ballistic missile, the Agni III, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead more than 3,000 km (1,900 miles). Defense analysts say the Agni III is primarily designed to counter the military strength of China, which also has nuclear weapons.
China is beginning an unprecedented surge in the flight test of new ballistic missiles at the same time that the U.S. is starting a lengthy transition of missile-warning satellite systems, critical for providing intelligence on this test activity.
Richard L. Garwin argues that instead of rushing to deploy a flawed and untested missile defense system, "military contractors, technologists and politicians should pay more attention to evaluating the relative magnitudes of the threats" and shift scarce resources to the "development of alternative systems that would have a real chance of stopping ICBMs."
Low-cost technology, terrorism and increasing anti-American sentiment around the globe will lead to more capable ballistic missiles - a threat to U.S. troops and other nations according to defense experts at the Sixth Annual Space and Missile Defense Conference.