Publication

This working paper identifies how theater missile defense (TMD) systems might affect bilateral alliances between the US and Japan and South Korea respectively. The author provides an overview of US national security and defense strategy, what TMD is, and how this supports national defense strategy. The paper next examines US Northeast Asia strategy and identifies the potential effects of US TMDs on its defense relationships. The author concludes that TMDs could undermine the US defense tenets of strengthening alliances and maintaining favorable balances of power.