CGSR | The MDR, Missile Defense and U.S. Strategic Competitors: An Evolving Approach?

Abstract: Recent Missile Defense Reviews (MDRs), including the Biden administrations’ 2022 MDR, point to a shift in the role of missile defense with respect to the large nuclear powers – Russia and China. This shift in the policy is still in a formative stage. However, the policy reviews call attention to changes occurring in the security environment that have important implications for missile defense. These are related to the growing prospect of limited missile strikes, either conventional or nuclear, that raise new questions over long-standing U.S. policy which has either rejected or dismissed any role for missile defense against Russia and China. In this context, the recent reviews make certain choices signaling a more pronounced role for missile defense within the broader U.S. military posture in order to address missile threats from Russia and China. The presentation will discuss these developments and their implications for U.S. defense strategy.

Bio: Dr. Peppi DeBiaso is a Senior Associate (non-resident) at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and Adjunct Professor in Missouri State University’s Defense and Strategic Studies Graduate Program in Washington DC. He is also a member of the Editorial Advisory Board, Journal of Policy and Strategy, and is a consultant to the Defense Department. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Southern California. Dr. DeBiaso has national security experience in federal, think tank, and academic sectors. He served as Director of the Office of Missile Defense Policy at the Defense Department from 2000-2021, where he led a staff responsible for developing missile defense policy, force development, and security cooperation with allies and partners. This included taking lead roles in conducting the 2002, 2010, 2018 and 2022 Missile Defense Reviews. Prior to this role, he served as the Deputy Director of the Office of Strategy, Forces, and Operations responsible for DoD policies for nuclear and missile defense programs and associated cooperation with allies. Between 1990-1992, he served in Geneva, Switzerland as DoD Senior Advisor to the U.S. Defense and Space negotiations with Russia. He previously served as Arms Control Project Leader with the ANSER Corporation where he focused on U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear doctrine and arms control and has held teaching and research positions at California State University and the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

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