Walking Away: The US Withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty

In December last year the US took formal action to terminate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. This was done because the treaty stands in the way of its desire to develop and deploy systems to defend against attacks by ballistic missile delivered weapons of mass destruction. The American decision is controversial, both inside Australia and internationally. This Research Note briefly covers the major issues involved, including those directly relevant to Australia.