National Missile Defense, the ABM Treaty and the future of START II

On January 27, 1999, the Arms Control Association (ACA) held a press conference to assess the impact of Secretary of Defense William Cohen's January 20 announcement concerning the funding of preparations for the deployment of a national missile defense (NMD) system.

Cohen announced the administration's plan to commit additional funding to its NMD program to permit a deployment decision in 2000, and suggested the United States' willingness to withdraw, if necessary, from the ABM Treaty. The ACA briefing coincided with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's threeday trip to Moscow to ease the growing strain in U.S.-Russian relations.

Following the December 16-19 …