bm210 The Costs of Missile Defense

They call it a missile defense system and tell the public it will protect them from attacks by rogue nations. Yet after hundreds of billions of dollars in military contracts, a plethora of failed tests, and a long list of international disagreements, missile defense is still being developed without much public discussion.

My guests today, Victoria Samson, of the Center for Defense Information, and Jane Vaynman of the blog Armscontrolwonk.com , help to lay out the issue of the anti missile system and to remind us of the details that many governments would like for us to ignore.

We Discuss:
– What is Missile Defense
– How is it funded
– When did it begin, how
– Where is it in the world, for who
– Who are the perceived threats
– Tests and failures
– The politics and political game revolving around the system
– The Russian point of view
– A new Cold War or just a bad time for relations with Russia
– Who Benefits?
– Where and who can we look to for info and help