The widespread proliferation of ballistic missile technologies into the hands of the world’s most dangerous states and terrorist organizations poses an unprecedented security risk to the United States and the civilized world.

Missile defense has become a major effort of the Department of Defense, absorbing about 1.7 percent of the current budget. But even that level is insufficient for both effective deployment of near-term capabilities and long-term development.

At a time when missile defense is becoming increasingly vital both for defense of the homeland and for the regional security architecture in the Pacific Rim and the Persian Gulf, the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) markup of the National Defense Authorization bill for FY 2009 (S. 3001) cuts more than $411 million from the administration’s request for the Missile Defense Agency’s (MDA) programs.

Most of the SASC cut ($267.8 million out of the $411 million) is an “undistributed” cut in research and development. Unless this cut is restored, the resulting budget allocations will inevitably hurt many of the very programs the SASC report designates as high priorities for funding increases.

Both the SASC and U.S. combatant commanders assess that the military needs to double the size of both the Navy’s Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense program (Aegis BMD, which is already deployed) and the Army’s Theater High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD, which is nearly ready for deployment).

Future long-range studies should explore the feasibility and desirability of space-based and laser-based technologies. In particular, a National Academy of Sciences reporting requirement on boost-phase missile defense should be modified to add an assessment of whether space-based interceptors and/or laser weapons are likely to be necessary in order to achieve effective, persistent, and global boost-phase defense.