June 14, 2012 In 2002 The United States formally withdrew from
the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The treaty, created 30 years
ago banned the United States and the Soviet Union (later Russia)
from developing ballistic missile defenses. The Heritage
Foundation hosted a panel discussion on this treaty on
Wednesday. President Ronald Reagan fought against the treaty,
inviting the Soviets to the negotiating table to discuss his
vision for a Strategic Defensive Initiative. When George W. Bush
came into office, he too opposed the Anti-Ballistic Missile
Treaty and decided to abandon the treaty in order to allow the
United States to prepare to protect the people of America by
creating a comprehensive missile defense program. Great strides
have been made in the U.S. ballistic missle defense, but
advancement has stalled during the presidency of Barack Obama.
Heritage’s Michaela Bendikova comments: President Obama has
significantly cut the missile defense budget since he took
office and indicated his willingness to negot