intercontinental ballistic missile

She applies a forensic eye to what might happen in a handful of nerve centers if radar picked up an incoming intercontinental ballistic missile headed straight for the Midwest.

That will require an audit of the regulations around Sentinel, the program for replacing intercontinental ballistic missiles, and eliminating unnecessary and costly barriers to avoid more delays and cost overruns.

The U.S. had an extensive program on them in the 1950s but abandoned the concept as scientists perfected intercontinental ballistic missiles, which fly far faster and higher.

But China is not one of them, prohibited by Congress during the Obama era from cooperating with the United States in space after attempting to steal U.S. technology on intercontinental ballistic missiles and thermonuclear weapons.

By contrast, North Korea has defied all international sanctions to build up a formidable arsenal of nuclear warheads and intercontinental ballistic missiles, enough to make any potential attacker think twice.