Most books on missile proliferation concentrate on the unfold of ballistic missiles or cruise missiles, no longer either. Gormley's paintings, even though, explains why cruise missiles are commencing to unfold largely, yet does so by way of explaining their unfold within the context of ballistic missile proliferation. It as a result treats either ballistic and cruise missile proliferation as similar phenomenon. This paintings additionally focuses evenhandedly on either nonproliferation and safeguard coverage (including missile defenses and counterforce doctrines) to model a suite of built-in techniques for facing ballistic and cruise missile proliferation.

Signs of missile contagion abound. during this learn, Gormley argues sequence of swift and astonishing advancements because 2005 recommend that the proliferation of missiles in a position to providing both guns of mass destruction or hugely actual traditional payloads is imminent a severe threshold. The dazzling truth is that land-attack cruise missiles, no longer ballistic missiles, represent the first challenge. Flying less than the radar, either actually and figuratively, land-attack cruise missiles upload a perilous new size to holding U.S. safeguard pursuits and fighting nearby army instability. Gormley asserts that cruise missiles aren't destined to supplant ballistic missiles; particularly, they're more likely to subscribe to them, simply because whilst either are hired jointly, they can critically try out even the simplest missile defenses. Worse but, Gormley argues, land-attack cruise missiles are more and more being associated with preemptive strike doctrines, that are fueling neighborhood palms races and obstacle instability. This paintings explains why a virulent disease of cruise missile proliferation, lengthy forecasted via analysts, has only in the near past all started to ensue. After first assessing the country of ballistic missile proliferation, Gormley explores the position of 3 components in shaping the unfold of cruise missiles. those contain really expert wisdom wanted for missile improvement; narrative messages approximately purposes for buying cruise missiles; and norms of country habit approximately missile nonproliferation coverage and safety doctrine. This publication then addresses the coverage alterations had to stanch the unfold of cruise missiles within the first position, or, barring that, cope militarily with a extra tough missile possibility which include both cruise and ballistic missiles.