Introduction

Under the presidency of George W. Bush, missile defence – as both a programme and a concept – underwent something of a renaissance. Campaigning for the presidency in 1999 Bush made a firm commitment to investment in missile defence and defence spending in general, promising to deploy anti-ballistic missile systems ‘at the earliest possible date’. He based this promise on the familiar self-image of American strength in technology which had created ‘a revolution in the technology of war … This revolution perfectly matches the strengths of our country – the skill of our people and the superiority of our technology. The best way to keep the peace is to redefine war on our terms.’ To achieve this redefinition of war, however, increased spending would be required: ‘The real goal is to move beyond marginal improvements – to replace existing programs with new technologies and strategies. To use this window of opportunity to skip a generation of technology. This will require spending more – and spending more wisely.’ In signing the defence appropriations bill in January 2001, Bush was even more succinct in tying together the themes of technological advance and missile defence as a justification for an overhaul of defence funding: