HUDSON INSTITUTE
ELEVEN MYTHS AND REALITIES ABOUT BIDEN’S MISSILE DEFENSE REVIEW
1
POLICY MEMO
Eleven Myths and Realities
about Biden’s Missile
Defense Review
BY REBECCAH L. HEINRICHS
Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute
November 2022
On October 27, 2022, the Biden administration released
the public version of the Missile Defense Review (MDR).
The document is commendable in some respects and is
concerning in others. Below are some myths and realities
about the Biden MDR.
Myth 1: The Biden administration’s MDR aligns with the
priorities of the Biden National Security Strategy (NSS).
Reality: Curiously, the NSS calls deterrence of strategic attacks
against the homeland “a top priority.” But what would be a
greater priority than that? The MDR rightly states that defending
the homeland and deterring attacks against the United States is
“the top priority.” Policymakers should press the administration
about this incongruence and ask why the NSS downgraded the
defense of the US homeland from the worst kinds of danger.
Myth 2: The MDR lacks an appreciation of the dangers
that nations with advanced missiles pose to America.
Reality: The review does a ne job explaining how the missile
threats to the US and its allies are evolving. It recognizes that
adversaries are investing in technologies to make their missiles
maneuverable to better evade and confuse US detection and
defenses. The MDR also notes that these adversaries are
working to obscure the United States’ ability to discern whether
those missiles are carrying a nuclear or non-nuclear payload.
Myth 3: The MDR elides the growing and pressing threat
of China.
Reality: The MDR highlights how the People’s Republic of
China’s missile program is growing in capability and number,
