Report of the American Physical Society Study Group on Boost-Phase Intercept Systems for National Missile Defense: Scientific and Technical Issues

This issue of RMP has, as a special supplement, the report of an APS study group on the physics and engineering issues that must be addressed in designing a missile defense system capable of intercepting a hostile missile while it is still burning, the so-called “boost phase.” The challenges for boost-phase intercept are significant, chiefly because of the short time window during which detection, decision, launch, and interception must occur. Some aspects of the problem have not previously been analyzed in such depth in the public domain. This study was made on the basis of unclassified information and so is presented here in its entirety.