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retaliatory forces: missiles, submarines, and the manned bombers.”
    “Defense Readiness Condition Three?” asked Defense.
    “DefCon One,” said the President. “Let’s not waste time on this. Full alert, everybody ready to go.”
    Before anyone could object, the President turned to the Secretary of State. “Let Beijing and Moscow know our moves are strictly defensive. Tell Tokyo what’s going on. Maybe they’ll want to attack that missile site. That way we could keep our hands clean.”
    “I wouldn’t depend on that,” the Security Advisor muttered.
    The President went on, “But we will not make an attack on North Korea. Not yet. We’ll give Pyongyang the opportunity to clean their own house. Our moves will be strictly defensive.”
    “And when those two nukes are launched?” asked the Security Advisor.
    “We’ll hope to hell we can shoot them down,” the President replied. “And if we can’t, if they hit an American city, we’ll blow those fuckers off the face of the earth.”
    Dead silence in the Oval Office.
    Then the Secretary of Defense muttered, “Maybe we ought to get the chaplain in here.” The President glowered at him.
    They rose and left the Oval Office, all except the chief of staff, who got up from the couch by the fireplace and settled in one of the emptied chairs in front of the President’s desk.
    “It’s a mess, Norm, isn’t it?” said the President.
    “Yeah, but I think you’re doing the right thing.”
    The President shook his head. “I wonder. Why’d they knock out all the satellites?”
    “Economic terrorism. Wall Street’s shut down. Markets all over the world have closed.”
    “Damn. I’ll have to work this into tonight’s speech.”
    “In San Francisco? You’re still going?”
    “I won’t cancel it,” the President said. Then, rubbing at the bridge of his nose, he added, “My wife wanted to go with me, but I told her I’d only be there for a few hours.”
    “The First Lady will be safer here,” the chief of staff agreed. “You would be, too, you know.”
    “No, I’ve got to go,” the President said. “There’s enough panic out there, with all the satellites out. My job is to show the people that everything’s under control.”
    “Even when it isn’t?”
    The President flashed his famous grin. “Especially when it isn’t, Norm. Especially when it isn’t.”
     
     
    MISSILE DEFENSE BASICS
    The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has developed a research, development, and test program focusing on a layered defense system based on the three phases of a ballistic missile’s trajectory: boost, midcourse, and terminal.
     
    Boost Phase Defense
    The boost phase is the part of the missile flight from launch until its rocket engines are exhausted and it stops accelerating under its own power. Typically, the boost phase ends at altitudes of 300 miles or less, and within the first 3 to 5 minutes of flight. During this phase, the rocket is climbing against Earth’s gravity.
    Intercepting a missile in its boost phase is the ideal solution. We can defend a large area of the globe and prevent midcourse decoys from being deployed by destroying the missile early in its flight. Of the boost phase defenses, the Airborne Laser (ABL) is the most mature.
     
    Midcourse Phase Defense
    The midcourse phase of a ballistic missile trajectory allows the longest window of opportunity to intercept an incoming missile: up to 20 minutes. This is the part of the missile’s flight where its engines have stopped thrusting so it follows a more predictable coasting path. The midcourse interceptor and a variety of radars and other sensors have a longer time to track and engage the target compared to boost and terminal interceptors. Also, more than one interceptor can be launched to ensure a successful hit.
    A downside to the longer intercept window is that the attacker has an opportunity to deploy countermeasures against a defensive system. The warhead and decoys are detached from the