Theater missile defense programs: Status and prospects

The Clinton administration now calls the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) the ballistic missile defense program. But the names have simply been changed to protect the guilty - the new program exhibits substantial continuity with the old in technology and goals. While acronyms have been changed, many of the programs continued by the Clinton administration date from the Reagan or Bush eras. And most strikingly, the Clinton administrations` ambitions for a virtually perfect defense against theater ballistic missiles harken to the unattainable goals for strategic defense initially set by President Reagan over a decade ago.