This monograph addresses a crucial issue in global military-political development and our nation’s security – the history, current state, and prospects of the United States’ missile defense system. This aspect of Washington’s military policy largely determines the level of nuclear threat capable of ending human civilization once and for all. In the past, the formulation of a coordinated stance on limiting missile defense systems and the large-scale reduction of the two superpowers’ off ensive nuclear arsenals signifi cantly lowered the likelihood of such an event. However, the recent renewed revision of American policy in favor of developing large-scale missile defense once again opens the prospect of an accelerated arms race in defensive and off ensive strategic weapons, and consequently, an increasing risk of nuclear catastrophe.