Applying system engineering to Missile Defense

Missile Defense is a major technical and political issue facing the US and the rest of the world. Until the US began to develop a hit-to-kill system, there was no effective defense against an incoming ICBM - nations had to rely on Mutual Assured Destruction (MAD). This was indeed mad, so in the 1980´s President Reagan began to investigate alternate methods to protect against incoming ICBM´s - his “Star Wars” program. However, technology was not mature enough for such an expansive system.