Cruise missiles: New threats, new thinking

Cruise missiles are increasingly being recognized as posing a threat comparable to that of ballistic missiles. Drawing on their recent major study, Cruise Missiles: Precision & Countermeasures, the authors divide the issues into four critical questions: (1) How have cruise missiles developed since Hitler's V‐Is (the first operational cruise missiles)? (2) How effective were US. cruise missiles in the 1991 Persian Gulf War and what are the implications for their future use? (3) Which countries have or are acquiring cruise missiles and why are they proliferating? (4) How should the United States and its allies respond to the proliferation of cruise missiles and what are the appropriate countermeasures? The answers offered show that this new threat requires new thinking and urgent action to develop timely and effective responses that should include active defenses and other military countermeasures.