Twenty-five years ago this month, President Ronald Reagan gave his famous "Star Wars" speech announcing his plan to develop a missile defense system that would make nuclear weapons "impotent and obsolete."

Marking this milestone event, UCS has published "Star Wars 25th Anniversary: Where Are We Now?", an issue backgrounder authored by David Wright and Lisbeth Gronlund, co-directors of the UCS Global Security Program. The backgrounder provides some analysis and perspectives on the past, present, and future technical and political aspects of U.S. efforts to develop and deploy missile defense against long-range missiles, including:

• How the rationale for the system and the technology have changed
• What the current status is and the prospects for an effective system
• How plans for future deployments can affect nuclear threats to the United States

Sincerely,

Sean Meyer
Project Manager, U.S. Nuclear Weapons Policy Initiative
National Field Organizer, Global Security Program