Can a ballistic missile defense capability have a deterrent effect?
Yes. Ballistic missile defense can work to deter the enemy because it reduces the political and military utility of offensive missiles. For example, if Allied deployed forces or civilian populations were defenseless, Iran may view its ballistic missile arsenal as an unchecked means to coerce other countries and/or even attack them. If Iran believes, however, that its ballistic missile attack might be defeated by a defensive system, it might be deterred from building up and using that arsenal to project its national power. Missile defenses are not a replacement for an offensive deterrent capability; they instead constitute an additional and critical dimension of contemporary deterrence. Also, over the longer term, missile defenses discourage the proliferation of ballistic missiles as the means of delivering weapons of mass destruction by undermining the military utility of these ballistic missiles. 7. Will the U.S. missile defense assets in Europe provide coverage to all countries in Eu
