Withdrawal from the ABM treaty and the consolidation of national missile defense (NMD) and theater missile defense (TMD) into the unified concept of ballistic missile defense (BMD) were among the policies of which presidential administration?

• A. Clinton
• B. Reagan
• C. Bush II
• D. Bush I

Answer: (C)

The move being tested reflects the George W. Bush administration’s strategy to reshape missile defense by leaving the ABM Treaty and treating national and theater defenses as one integrated system, called Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD). The ABM Treaty from 1972 limited missile defenses to prevent an arms race and maintain strategic stability, but Bush argued that a changing threat environment—proliferation and evolving technology—required a flexible, layered defense. Jumping to a unified BMD allowed development of both national defenses to protect the homeland (NMD) and regional defenses (TMD) under a single architecture, with interoperable sensors, interceptors, and command systems. This withdrawal opened the door to deploy and integrate these systems without treaty constraints. Other administrations operated under different expectations: Reagan advanced the concept that led to the Strategic Defense Initiative but did not pursue a formal withdrawal from the ABM Treaty; Clinton pursued limited missile defense without discarding the treaty; Bush I did not undertake this shift.