When Barack Obama campaigned for president in 2008, he promised to “cut investments in unproven missile defense systems.” The word “unproven,” folks worried, could be used against every defense system that hasn’t intercepted a missile in combat. And, indeed, Obama did cut missile defense programs. 

The Obama administration sacrificed homeland ballistic missile defense while supporting regional defense of Europe. This lack of enthusiasm for homeland, or “strategic,” missile defense seems to come from a concern of upsetting the “balance of power,” and the Obama administration has traded away homeland defense in order to “reset” relations with Russia.